Data released by the Israeli security establishment on Monday revealed a significant 63% increase in nationalist crime in the West Bank during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in the previous year, Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN News, reported.

In total, some 660 incidents were recorded in the first half of 2026, up from 405 in the second half of 2025 and 440 in the first half of 2025.

The report also indicated that the number of deliberate attacks against security forces rose significantly, with 45 incidents reported in the first half of 2026, compared to 30 in the second half of 2025, marking a 50% increase in violence directed at security personnel.

The rise in violence was also reflected in the number of Palestinian casualties. During the first half of the year, 140 Palestinians were wounded, and six were killed, compared with 82 wounded and no fatalities during the previous six months.

The figures mentioned do not account for incidents recorded in July. According to data from the security establishment, around 100 additional incidents of nationalist crime were reported in July alone, indicating that the upward trend persisted into the second half of 2026.

IDF increased deployment to combat violence

The data was released amid increasing public and international concern about the rise in violence in the West Bank.
Last month, the IDF increased its deployment across the West Bank to 26 battalions, adding two battalions amid the sharp escalation in Palestinian terrorist attacks and attacks from settlers.

The reinforcement followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order to increase troop deployments, additional checkpoints, and expanded counterterrorism operations following Security forces arrested more than 70 terror suspects across the West Bank the day following the deadly shooting near Gilad Farm.

Rabbi Brander speaks out against West Bank violence

Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander from Ohr Torah Stone commented on the recent uptick in West Bank violence on Monday following the Israel security establishment report’s release.

“This violence committed by Jewish extremists is deeply disturbing and demands a clear moral response from Jewish and Israeli leadership. There is no justification, religious or otherwise, for attacking innocent people because of their identity,” he stated.

“Such acts violate the most fundamental principles of Jewish law and undermine the values that should guide our society and democracy,” he added.

“Jewish leaders, educators and rabbis have a responsibility to speak clearly and without hesitation. Condemning this violence is not about weakening Israel or ignoring the very real threats facing our country.

It is about reaffirming the Jewish values of justice, human dignity and responsibility that must remain at the heart of the society we are building,” he continued.

Jerusalem Post Staff and Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.

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A Tel Aviv District Court judge on Monday ruled that Likud’s top internal court had exceeded its authority in a dispute over the rules for the party’s upcoming primaries.

The case centered on a narrowly approved change that would allow serving MKs and ministers to compete for district slots on the Likud’s Knesset list, a move the party tribunal later ruled could not stand.

The case was brought by Likud MK Afif Abed, who is seeking to overturn the internal tribunal’s decision ahead of the party primaries, which had been set for August 17.

The dispute is complicated by the way Likud builds its Knesset list.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as party chairman, is placed first on the slate. Registered Likud members vote for candidates on the national list, while candidates can also compete for positions reserved for geographic districts. Those names are combined with slots reserved for certain groups and candidates chosen by the party chairman.

Serving ministers were barred from competing through the district route

Where each category appears is determined ahead of each election through temporary regulations.

Under the framework debated before this year’s convention, serving ministers, deputy ministers and MKs were barred from competing through the district route. A proposal backed by Likud Central Committee chairman Haim Katz and Netanyahu sought to change that.

On July 27, Likud Central Committee members voted on three proposals shaping the primaries. All three passed, including one giving Netanyahu eight reserved positions on the Knesset slate and another allowing serving MKs and ministers to compete in district races.

The latter passed by only a handful of votes, and challenges followed almost immediately.

MK David Bitan alleged serious irregularities in the vote. The dispute eventually reached the Likud’s highest internal judicial body, which ruled that serving MKs and ministers could not run in the district races. Abed then brought that ruling to the Tel Aviv District Court.

At the outset of Monday’s hearing, Shaked focused on whether a civil court should intervene at all. Courts do not normally act as appeals courts over a political party’s internal tribunal, he said, except in unusual cases such as where the tribunal is alleged to have acted outside its authority.

Abed’s attorney, Guy Busy, argued that this was such a case.

His argument was not simply that the tribunal had reached the wrong conclusion, but that it had imposed a result it had no power to impose. If serious defects are found in an election, Busi told the court, the accepted solutions are to cancel the vote or order a new one.

The tribunal could not, he argued, effectively declare that the losing side had won without first establishing that the result itself was invalid.

Shaked repeatedly pressed the lawyers on that point: Had a majority of the Likud tribunal actually found the alleged irregularities serious enough to invalidate the July vote?

According to Shaked’s reading of the internal judgment, only tribunal member Yitzhak Bam had concluded that the voting defects themselves justified throwing out the result. The other four members had not made such a finding.

That left another issue at the center of the tribunal’s ruling: equality between candidates.

Section 139 of the Likud constitution describes party elections as personal, general, equal, direct and secret. Those defending the tribunal’s decision argued that allowing incumbent MKs and ministers into the district races undermined equality because they enter with advantages ordinary district activists do not have, including greater public exposure and access to publicly funded resources.

Shaked questioned that reading. He said the provision appeared to deal primarily with equality among voters, rather than requiring candidates to begin a race from equal positions.

Attorney Yair Gabay, one of the respondents, argued that the issue was whether public resources were available to one group of candidates and not another.

He also said the districts had long functioned as a route for party activists, who had prepared for the race on the understanding that incumbent politicians could not enter.

Shaked pushed back, noting that the Likud constitution does not expressly state that MKs or ministers may not compete in the districts.

The hearing then turned to the scope of the tribunal’s authority.

Broad power to hear disputes involving party members

Sections 124 and 125 of the constitution give it broad power to hear disputes involving party members and institutions. But Shaked pointed to Section 126, which appears to prevent the tribunal from determining the movement’s policy.

He asked why deciding who may compete in the districts was not, at its core, a policy choice for Likud itself.

Likud attorney Ilan Bombach, who opposed the tribunal’s judgment, made a similar argument. He said the tribunal had been involved in shaping and approving the primary rules before the convention vote and could not then, after the result was known, use its judicial authority to decide how the party should structure its slate.

Gabay argued in response that the tribunal’s mandate also includes protecting the interests of the movement and district candidates who had prepared under the existing rules.

The respondents also insisted that the alleged irregularities surrounding the July 27 ballot could not be separated from the result.

Bitan’s attorney, Yifat Meirovitz-Yefet, pointed to claims involving observers, missing ballots and invalidated votes. Other respondents argued that missing envelopes meant a recount could not resolve the problem and that a fresh count was no longer realistic given the timetable.

Shaked, however, repeatedly distinguished between evidence that irregularities may have occurred and a finding that they justified invalidating the result. He said he could not identify a majority of the tribunal that had made the latter finding.

Busy responded that even if defects were proven, that still did not answer the question of remedy. A faulty election could be rerun, he argued; it did not follow that a judicial body could substitute the losing outcome for the winning one.

Busy also offered a narrower way to end the case: If Abed were permitted to compete in the Galilee and Valleys district, he said, Abed would withdraw the lawsuit. No agreement was reached.

The question left for Shaked is therefore not simply whether serving MKs and ministers should be allowed to run in district races, but who within Likud had the authority to decide that question and whether the party tribunal crossed that line after the vote.

The hearing ended without an oral ruling. Shaked said his judgment would be delivered to the parties.

Keshet Neev contributed to this report.

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By mid-morning on Saturday, the alleys surrounding Cafe Basimta were filled with haredi Orthodox demonstrators protesting the cafe’s decision to open on Shabbat.

It was the sixth consecutive Shabbat that the small cafe off Agrippas Street had faced demonstrations, with no sign of change.

Israeli police were out in full force after demonstrators broke through the barricades last weekend.

Shabbat cafe becomes flashpoint in Jerusalem tensions

Close to 100 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Jerusalem open on Shabbat, according to Laura Wharton, a Jerusalem city council member from the Democrats party who founded Shabus, a cooperative that runs buses on Shabbat. Only one, Basimta, has drawn a crowd.

Basimta, which opened at the end of May, is new, Wharton said, whereas the others have been open for decades. The cafe sits near what she called the undeclared border between the city’s haredi neighborhoods and the rest of the city.

Agrippas Street runs along the Mahane Yehuda market, where almost every business closes for Shabbat. The cafe also opened its doors during the period when haredi yeshivas are on break, so teenagers who make up the bulk of the protestors have more free time to demonstrate.

“There have been weeks when the average age was probably about 16 there,” Wharton said..

The cafe is not only a flashpoint in the long-running fight between secular and religious Israelis over the character of the holy city. It has become the most visible front in a hot summer of protests and riots across Jerusalem, over a light rail line and extending forced army conscription to yeshiva students, both opposed by the Haredi community.

Haredi protests extend beyond Shabbat observance

For six years, hardline haredi demonstrators who say the light rail was planned without accounting for the community’s sensibilities have fought construction through Bar-Ilan Street, a haredi thoroughfare, breaking into work sites and pulling down fencing. The vandalism and delays have cost an estimated 400 million shekels.

The light rail project is going ahead despite years of obstruction, Wharton said, and Saturday is the one day there is no work at the site to disrupt, freeing up protesters to target the cafe.

Nationally, 44% of Israeli Jews identify as secular and 16% as haredi, according to figures provided to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research. That breakdown is vastly different in Jerusalem, where among the city’s Jewish residents, 46% identify as haredi and 25% as religious-Zionist, while 13% identify as secular, according to the institute.

That arithmetic, which speaks to the struggle over the city’s identity, is what non-haredi Jerusalemites say is really at stake in an alley off Agrippas Street.

Avi Dabush, a rabbi who directs Rabbis for Human Rights and is running for the Knesset as part of the left-wing Democrats party, said the cafe was symbolic of the larger national issue.

“It’s kind of an example for the battle that we are doing about the identity of Israel right now,” said Dabush, who was raised in the religious-Zionist school system. He was there on Saturday along with Yair Golan, who leads the Democrats party, for whom the cafe has become an issue ahead of the Oct. 27 election.

“We are in the midst of elections,” Dabush said. “So it’s part of it.”

Confrontations grow increasingly aggressive

Outside Cafe Basimta Saturday, demonstrators took turns screaming at each other in the alleys. The haredi teens, dressed in their black Shabbat best, yelled “One who desecrates the Sabbath, his sentence is death,” a verse from Exodus. They also shouted “stop destroying Jerusalem,” while at other times they gathered in circles to sing Shabbat hymns.

Secular Israelis shot back with a slew of chants, of which “enlist!” appeared to be the most popular. They also shouted, “Only cowards send children,” and carried signs reading “Haredim for our coffee,” a play on a Hebrew word that means both ultra-Orthodox and devoted.

Haredi children followed and tried to defend older members of the community during altercations. Lior Leon, a Jerusalem tour guide, blamed the adults. “The problem is not the kids; they push them,” he said.

The confrontations have grown more aggressive since the protests began in early July. Before dawn on July 25, someone threw a bag of feces at the entrance, and on Thursday, Israel Police announced the arrest of a 15-year-old boy.

On Saturday, the JTA reporter at the scene was spat on by a demonstrator, as were other journalists, and Orthodox residents of the buildings lining the alley threw bags of water down at counter-demonstrators until police shouted a warning that they would be arrested.

Israel Police said in a written statement to JTA that officers acted where they identified people “attempting to instigate violence or disrupt public order.”

Dispute over Basimta’s Shabbat opening

Cafes and restaurants are granted an exemption from the city’s prohibition on businesses opening on the Shabbat. Yohanan Weitzman, a Jerusalem city council member from the haredi Agudat Yisrael faction, told JTA that there was an unwritten status quo governing which businesses and cafes open in the city, which Basimta had violated. It “is not the desire of either party, but it is a necessary compromise to prevent conflicts,” Weitzman said.

There has been widespread violation of those agreements and a failure to enforce municipal bylaws, he said. Opening the cafe was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

The protests are organized by the Committee for the Sanctity of Jerusalem, which acts for the Edah HaChareidis, the anti-Zionist body that includes some of the city’s most militant Hasidic groups. Demonstrators are summoned by pashkevilim, the broadsheet notices pasted on walls in haredi neighborhoods with the time and place of each week’s protest.

Haredi groups who are more involved in Israeli society have been unsettled by the protests. “I am strongly opposed to any kind of violence,” Eliezer Rauchberger, the deputy mayor who heads Jerusalem’s Degel HaTorah faction, the Lithuanian stream that sits in Mayor Moshe Lion’s coalition, said in a written statement. Asked which haredi groups were organizing the protests and which rabbis stood behind them, he declined to answer.

One haredi demonstrator, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Avraham, told JTA the protests would not stop until the cafe closes. “We want it gone,” he said. “It is desecrating our Sabbath.”

Wharton said a Supreme Court ruling exempts entertainment, food service and sports from the city’s Shabbat closures, which is why three of Jerusalem’s four cinemas and its municipal swimming pools operate on Saturday. Basimta, she said, is running legally.

The cafe’s ownership by a sect of Jews who have embraced Christian beliefs has also stirred some opposition. Or LeAchim, an anti-missionary organization, told JTA it is pursuing municipal channels to have Basimta shut, arguing it lacks a valid business license. Wharton said the only substantive complaint concerned tables and chairs placed outside without a permit, and that the furniture has since been brought inside.

Yoel Ben David, who runs the cafe, told JTA in July that the municipality and police had been “incredibly supportive,” and that city officials asked him to bring the tables in as a compromise, which he accepted.

Wharton said the effort to shut the cafe had backfired. Basimta has been doing record business, boasting lines of customers from the moment it opens until it closes.

Ben David is a member of the Jews for Jesus community, which owns and operates the cafe, as JTA reported last month. The revelation cost him support from some Israeli institutions, but it has not thinned the crowds, and demonstrators told JTA it is not what they care about.

For Liora Bamberger, who lives in one of the high-rise buildings encircling the Basimta courtyard, the fight has taken away the one quiet morning of her week.

“The only day in the week that we have a little bit of quiet,” she said, before pausing. “Not anymore.”

Bamberger, who observes Shabbat, said the cafe should be allowed to open and that she did not expect this to end well. “When you have extremism, it’s not gonna end,” she said. “It’s gonna be a boom.”

Asked whether she found common ground with the demonstrators, she said she found it with everyone.

“This is the problem.”

This post was originally published on here. 

For decades, the basic equation in Israeli-Indian defense relations was straightforward. Israel had the military technology, expertise, and weapons that India wanted, and India had one of the world’s largest defense markets.

In 2026, however, that equation is changing.

A new 42-page investigation by Amnesty International, Made in India: The Supply of Weapons and Ammunition to Israel, argues that Indian weapons exports to Israel could expose New Delhi and Indian companies to responsibility for alleged violations of international law in Gaza.

However, within its shipment records, corporate structures, and descriptions of artillery parts, machine-gun components, and drone warheads, there is also a detailed picture of how far the bilateral defense relationship has come.

India is increasingly manufacturing for Israel, supplying Israeli companies, jointly developing systems with them and embedding Indian factories within international defense supply chains. A relationship once dominated by Israeli exports to India has become significantly more reciprocal.

For Dr. Oshrit Birvadker, senior national security expert, director of the South and East Asia Center at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, and CEO of Indivade, this is a strategic shift that Israel itself was slow to understand.

“I have severe reservations regarding the validity of this report,” Birvadker told The Jerusalem Post. “Even Amnesty acknowledges the limits of its own findings, admitting an inability to verify the end-use of the shipments in question. From my perspective, the empirical data presented here demonstrates only one clear reality – Israel and India maintain a legitimate defense and commercial partnership between two democracies.”

That partnership, however, is changing in character.

“For years, defense contractors and policymakers favored maintaining the status quo, treating India primarily as a buyer,” Birvadker stated. While Israeli companies entered joint ventures in India, she said, much of that process was driven by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ policy rather than by any Israeli vision of India as a future supply base.

October 7 and the subsequent years of war and international pressure that followed changed the calculation, she argued.

“It took an event of apocalyptic proportions coupled with growing international isolation, arms embargoes, and shipment delays from Israel’s closest ally, for the Israeli defense establishment to fully recognize India’s strategic weight,” Birvadker said.

“Two years later, that shift is underway. The defense establishment now signs major MOUs and recognizes India as an essential pillar of Israel’s security doctrine, realizing that ‘Make in India’ provides the necessary scale and rapid delivery pipelines required for Israel’s long-term security.”

What Amnesty found: Thousands of shipments from India to Israel

Amnesty’s investigation is substantial in scale. Using commercially available shipment-level trade data, researchers examined exports between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025, under customs categories covering weapons, ammunition and armored vehicles. In total, Amnesty identified 2,596 shipments from India to Israel.

The organization says those shipments included at least 390,516 parts for military-grade small arms, 564,970 parts of explosive ordnance – including artillery-shell components and drone warheads – and 298 military-vehicle components.

Amnesty described those numbers as conservative. It deliberately excluded shipments for which it could not distinguish civilian from military use and removed products that appeared likely to be destined for anti-missile defense systems.

Of the 2,596 shipments examined, Amnesty said it could determine that at least 788 contained items with military uses, excluding equipment intended solely for air defense. Another 1,838 shipments fell within a customs category for pistol and handgun parts, where civilian and military applications can overlap. Of 354 shipments classified specifically as parts for military weapons, 39 involved interceptor components for Rafael missile-defense systems, which Amnesty excluded from its offensive-weapons count.

Amnesty also acknowledged that shipment-level data cannot in every case establish the final end-user or prove that an item was transferred directly to the IDF rather than an Israeli defense company or subsequently re-exported.

Birvadker argued that this distinction is crucial when evaluating the conclusions Amnesty draws from the data.

“The report presents no evidence of intent or official policy by India to facilitate unlawful combat operations or human rights violations,” she told the Post. “Deducting complicity in genocide from routine maritime shipping logs represents an unfounded analytical leap, suggesting a predetermined agenda.”

Amnesty, however, says the nature of some of the products and their recipients establishes a much clearer military connection.

Its report names PLR Systems, a joint venture between India’s Adani Group and Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), as an exporter of components for IWI’s Negev machine gun. Amnesty identified 10,571 feeding-tray components and 33,033 bolt carriers and related assemblies exported by PLR to IWI during the period examined.

The report says manufacturer Indo-MIM exported more than 59,600 automatic sears – components enabling automatic fire – to IWI, with another two shipments measured by weight rather than individual units. It recorded 1,273 Indo-MIM shipments of weapons parts to Israel after October 7, although Amnesty classified only 54 as demonstrably military because many components can serve both civilian and military weapons.

Further up the weapons chain, Kalyani Strategic Systems, part of the Bharat Forge Group, allegedly exported 9,600 bodies for 155mm artillery rounds, while the state-owned Munitions India Limited sent a shipment of 1,000 finished 155mm high-explosive shells to Elbit Systems, according to the trade data Amnesty reviewed.

Amnesty also identified a December 2025 shipment by Alpha Elsec Defence & Aerospace Systems – a joint venture involving Elbit – of 122 five-kilogram warhead assemblies. The organization linked that specification to Elbit’s SkyStriker loitering munition, examples of which have been identified among debris in Gaza.

These are the transactions on which Amnesty builds its accusation that Indian companies have become part of the supply infrastructure supporting Israeli military operations. They also illustrate precisely why the relationship is so important to both countries.

INDIA AND ISRAEL only established full diplomatic relations in 1992, and defense ties initially followed the conventional exporter-client model. Israel became particularly important to India after the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan.

Over time, however, New Delhi began insisting that foreign defense companies do more inside India itself.

The expansion of the “Make in India” policy, introduced in 2014, under Modi accelerated domestic production, joint ventures and technology transfer. The Adani-Elbit partnership established what Amnesty describes as India’s first private military-drone manufacturing factory, while perhaps the most prominent example of bilateral development is the Barak-8 air-defense system, jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization.

This transformation forms part of a much wider Indian strategy. New Delhi has set 2047, the centenary of independence, as the horizon for its ambition to become a developed and substantially more self-reliant global power, with domestic manufacturing, technological capability and exports central to that project. Defense is increasingly being treated as part of the same national effort.

Indian defense exports reached $4 billion (390 billion rupees) in the financial year 2025, while New Delhi is increasingly seeking future weapons procurements on terms that include technology transfer and greater Indian control over avionics, electronics and guidance systems. The Jerusalem Post was invited to visit India this year and witness firsthand its defense sector in action. Yet its defense production and modernization remain uneven, with continued dependence on foreign technology in important areas and the persistent strategic challenge of preparing for possible conflict with both Pakistan and China.

That combination, rapidly growing industrial capability alongside continuing technological requirements, is where Israel becomes particularly valuable.

Birvadker said India has moved beyond manufacturing solely for its own armed forces and is explicitly seeking a place among the world’s leading defense exporters.

“This sharp trajectory reflects growing global acceptance of Indian manufactured defense systems and the country’s seamless integration into international supply chains,” Birvadker explained.  “Over the years, New Delhi has aggressively pursued the production of everything from small arms and drones to fighter jets and submarines, either independently or through strategic foreign partnerships.

“This partnership with Israel is particularly vital,” she stated. “Unlike traditional defense suppliers that resist technology transfer, Israeli companies demonstrate a high willingness to invest in joint research and development, a factor critical to India’s defense sector growth, as best exemplified by the Barak 8 air defense system. Furthermore, Israeli firms are increasingly outsourcing the production of sub-components to Indian suppliers, elevating industrial standards across the broader Indian market.”

There is another benefit that is harder to quantify.

“Ultimately, having the IDF, which is widely regarded as one of the world’s most technologically advanced militaries, deploy Indian-manufactured systems serves as a powerful seal of quality that boosts global market confidence,” Birvadker said.

“In the context of active combat, real-time operational deployment also provides invaluable field-tested feedback to refine and validate these capabilities.”

For Israel, meanwhile, Indian production offers cost advantages and, increasingly, supply-chain resilience.

Western governments have become more politically divided over defense exports to Israel. Amnesty’s report itself cites restrictions or suspensions imposed in parts of Europe and argues that India continued expanding cooperation during the same period.

Birvadker believes that makes India an increasingly valuable alternative manufacturing base.

“Serving as a critical alternative to Europe in manufacturing and ammunition, especially amid export restrictions and overt or quiet arms embargoes by European nations, India has emerged as an essential industrial fallback,” she said.

There are limits, however. India cannot replace Washington in areas such as fighter aircraft, heavy precision-guided munitions or direct strategic military assistance, she stressed, but the growing two-way flow of weapons, components, technology and capital means the relationship is increasingly one of “mutual interdependence rather than unilateral dependence,” Birvadker said.

AMNESTY IS asking New Delhi to go considerably further than imposing additional checks on exports.

It called for an immediate halt to arms transfers to Israel and a comprehensive embargo covering weapons, components, technologies, technical assistance and training. It also recommended that Indian companies terminate business relationships, including joint research and development, with Elbit Systems, Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries.

“Israeli systems currently form the technological backbone of India’s security architecture along its sensitive borders with China and Pakistan,” Birvadker told the Post, on what possible consequences implementation would have for India’s own military.

“Companies like Elbit, Rafael, and IAI are not standard import suppliers,” she said. “They are India’s premier partners in building a domestic defense industry.”

Birvadker went further, arguing that severing the relationship could set back India’s objective of technological self-reliance “by decades.”

“India would once again find itself dependent on other global powers, a resurgence of defense colonialism,” Bivadker stated. “Who benefits from such an outcome?”

The legal argument: The controversy lies in what is not publicly visible

Amnesty’s challenge is also directed at India’s export-control system itself.

India is not a party to the Arms Trade Treaty, although it is a party to the Geneva Conventions and Genocide Convention. Amnesty argues that those existing obligations are sufficient to require India to halt transfers where there is a clear risk that weapons could contribute to serious violations. 

Indian arms exports are not unregulated. Military and dual-use goods are controlled through the SCOMET system and require authorization from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. Applications are reviewed through an inter-ministerial process involving the foreign, defense, and home ministries, and official guidelines require consideration of the end user, declared end use, chain of transmission, and whether an export could conflict with Indian national security or foreign policy.

The controversy, according to Amnesty, lies in what is not publicly visible.

The inter-ministerial deliberations are confidential, leaving no public record showing whether international humanitarian law or India’s treaty obligations were specifically assessed when licenses for exports to Israel were approved.

Amnesty filed a Right to Information request seeking details of specific export licenses and any human rights assessments undertaken by the government, but said it had received no reply before publication.

Birvadker’s position is that New Delhi should resist external pressure rather than allow NGOs to determine its strategic relationships.

“New Delhi must categorically reject the pressure to suspend defense exports, fiercely guarding its principle of strategic autonomy and its sovereign right to conduct relations in alignment with its national interests,” she said.

“Yielding to Amnesty’s demands would severely undermine India’s credibility as a reliable defense partner on the global stage,” she told the Post.

India’s concept of strategic autonomy predates the Israel controversy. It was visible, for example, when New Delhi resisted Western pressure over Russian oil purchases following the invasion of Ukraine, prioritizing energy security and its freedom to maintain relationships across competing geopolitical blocs.

The relationship with Israel increasingly fits into that same model. India remains a major purchaser of Israeli technology while becoming a supplier in its own right. Israeli companies gain an enormous manufacturing base and access to Indian industry; India acquires technology, domestic production and exposure to global defense markets. The greater the integration, the harder it becomes to describe the partnership simply as one country selling weapons to another.

That is another revealing aspect of Amnesty’s report. Its authors see the hundreds of thousands of Indian-made components flowing to Israeli companies as evidence that the relationship should be curtailed. Birvadker cites the same supply chains as evidence that the relationship has become strategically indispensable.

The argument over Gaza will remain bitter and unresolved, particularly when the charge of genocide is treated as settled despite the substantial legal arguments against it. The industrial shift beneath that debate, however, is already taking shape.

India is no longer merely buying Israeli weapons. Increasingly, some of Israel’s weapons begin their journey in India.

This post was originally published on here. 

The IDF urged residents of the Gaza Strip to protect themselves from financial exploitation by Hamas and to replace old-issue banknotes with current ones on Monday, warning that soon the old notes could lose all value.

“Most of the old-issue banknotes have already been replaced with new ones some time ago. If any of you still possess those old banknotes, you face a serious financial risk. In the very near future, these banknotes will be worth nothing, and you will be left with nothing,” IDF Arabic Spokesperson Lt.-Col. Ella Waweya wrote on X/Twitter.

Hamas is trying to exploit the situation through offloading banknotes that will soon be worthless onto the Gazan people and even their own operatives, according to Waweya.

“While some movement elements receive their salaries in old banknotes, the leaders hold onto the new ones. The leaders care only about themselves, leaving their field operatives and the residents of the Strip to bear the losses alone,” Waweya wrote.

Gaza residents urged not to accept old banknotes

Gazan residents are recommended not to accept salaries or payment in old banknotes. 

“Do not allow the terrorist Hamas leadership to burden you with the consequences of its losses,” Waweya wrote. 

This post was originally published on here. 

The Board of Peace’s proposed agreement to disarm Hamas would leave Israel restricted in its ability to deal with immediate and emerging threats, while allowing Hamas to remain armed with “personal weapons,” according to an assessment by Dr. Igal Shiri published by the Meir Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute last week.

The 15-point plan, which was rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, notably failed to see Hamas relinquish its weapons, only seeing the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza store the weapons and decommission them under point 8.

Shiri noted that a political crisis or the collapse of the NCAG, or a similar armed takeover of storage facilities like the one seen during Hamas’s 2007 takeover of Gaza, could result in Hamas being rearmed.

Additionally, Shiri warned that it remained unclear whether a complete inventory of Hamas’s weapons production facilities, tunnels and other infrastructure would be handed over, and whether these structures would be dismantled or completely destroyed under the supervision of parties not allied with Hamas, rather than only by Turkey and Qatar.

Unclear whether IDF expected to withdraw before or after Hamas disarmament

It also remains unclear whether the IDF would be expected to withdraw before or after Hamas disarms.
Critically, under the ninth point of the agreement, Hamas members would be allowed to retain “personal weapons” registered and licensed with the NCAG.

Shiri said such a process would do little to ensure the complete dismantlement of Hamas’s military wings or prevent current and former Hamas police members from rearming, particularly if they are allowed to integrate into the new security forces.

Netanyahu said on Sunday he would not allow a deal that promises only “fictitious disarmament,” where Hamas is allowed to continue holding arms.

“When I say Hamas is disarmed, that means the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons – all the weapons,” he said.
Shiri also pointed to Hamas’ declaration that it would continue to work to “liberate all of the land from the occupation on all fronts,” as reflective of the group’s continued commitment to armed jihad against Israel.

He argued that Hamas therefore had no intention of implementing the agreement in the spirit in which it was written, but instead could use it as an opportunity to reorganize and raise resources.

Fate of Hamas operatives unclear per the agreement

As to the fate of Hamas’s current commanders and terrorist operatives, including those who participated in the October 7 massacre, the agreement is also vague. It is unclear whether they will be allowed to stay in the Gaza Strip, though point seven would allow those in the Palestinian police who do not pass vetting to be offered alternative civilian roles.

“None of those shall be deprived of their financial rights, particularly due to political affiliation,” the agreement promised.
Finally, Shiri warned that the restrictions on the IDF’s use of force threaten its ability to respond to immediate and emerging threats because it fails to address Israel’s right to self-defense, only demanding its withdrawal in point 13.

This post was originally published on here. 

The IDF increased the pace of its strikes over the past two weeks, with the number of fatalities rising accordingly, before restricting them under a new policy, following a series of targeted killings across the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire took effect, which, according to IDF statistics, resulted in the deaths of around 500 terrorists.

Defense officials confirmed on Sunday that opportunities to strike Hamas’s military wing operatives had been missed over the past week because of government policy.

However, senior political officials told Walla on Monday that “This is a complete lie. The IDF did not bring a single targeted killing for approval over the past week.”

Hamas’s leadership, based in Qatar and Turkey, exerted pressure on Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other countries, including the Board of Peace, which in turn pressured the White House to halt the targeted killings.

Officials in Jerusalem instructed the IDF to scale back the operations, but even this failed to satisfy the Americans, and the targeted killings were completely halted this week.

The situation in the Gaza Strip, with the IDF operating in the area with its hands tied on one side, while the Board of Peace accelerates efforts to rebuild Gaza without Hamas having disarmed on the other, has drawn criticism from within the defense establishment.

Netanyahu rejects 15-point Board of Peace Gaza document

Apparently in response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to address the issue at the opening of the government meeting in an effort to push back against the criticism.

“Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to eliminate threats against our forces and our citizens.

“And when I say disarming Hamas, that means the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, all the weapons. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament. We are now discussing this issue with the Americans,” Netanyahu added.

In practice, however, defense officials point to several developments without which they say Netanyahu’s remarks would be meaningless.

According to defense officials, the prime minister must prevent the national force from entering the Gaza Strip because it could introduce foreign influences that would be harmful to Israel. Hamas could exploit those influences to normalize and consolidate its rule, while hiding behind the process, on Turkish advice, in order to avoid disarming.

Defense officials call for technocratic committee to be barred from Gaza

The officials also believe the technocratic committee should be prevented from entering the Gaza Strip. According to IDF assessments, Hamas could eventually take control of the committee and manipulate it with considerable sophistication.

They further argue that the IDF must not withdraw from the Yellow Line, but should remain in its current positions in order to increase pressure on Hamas.

Above all, most officials agree that Israel should resume strikes against Hamas operatives and field commanders.

This post was originally published on here. 

The Ugandan Parliament has approved the deployment of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) to Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump’s proposed international stabilization force.

The motion, tabled by Defense Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka, sought Parliament’s approval under the Constitution and the UPDF Act to deploy Ugandan troops to support efforts to restore peace and facilitate humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

During a plenary sitting last Thursday, Minister Kiwanuka said the deployment was in line with Uganda’s constitutional obligations and international commitments, and stressed that the proposed mission would operate under strict humanitarian principles.

“The UPDF contingent will remain neutral, comply with International humanitarian law, protect civilians without taking sides in political disputes, and operate solely under the mandate of the Stabilization Mission,” he said.

Several legislators questioned the move, arguing that there was inadequate risk assessment

Although Parliament eventually approved the deployment, several legislators questioned the manner in which the motion had been introduced, or argued that there was not enough risk assessment.

The Chief Opposition Whip, Paul Mwiru, representing the Leader of the Opposition, asked for more time to address the motion. He expressed concern that Parliament was being asked to make a decision with significant consequences.

Joseph Ssewungu similarly said the Opposition had not been given adequate opportunity to prepare: “I am not supporting your motion, because it is an ambush on us.”

John Baptist Nambeshe (NUP, Manjiya County) supported Uganda’s participation in peacekeeping operations but said Parliament should first receive reports on ongoing deployments in countries including the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan before approving another mission.

‘It is very difficult to distinguish between combatants and civilians’

Nashembe also said that Gaza presented unique operational risks because “it is urban warfare and it becomes very difficult to distinguish between combatants and civilians.”

“The matter of deploying our soldiers to a very risky place like Gaza, where Israel strikes every now and again, cannot be just casually passed here. We have to prepare enough,” said Patrick Nsamba.

However, UPDF representative Maj. Gen. Henry Masiko dismissed suggestions that the force was unprepared for the mission and added that Uganda should take pride in the international recognition accorded to the UPDF.

“You should be very, very proud as Ugandans that Uganda People’s Defense Forces is viewed as the anchor of stability in a sea of turbulence regionally and now globally,” he said.

Maj. Gen. David Gonyi (UPDF) said Uganda had both a moral and diplomatic obligation to support the mission.

“We cannot be in this House… and want to live in a peaceful country, not to support the deployment of the UPDF to go and help members of the community that lives in the Gaza Strip to have at least some semblance of peace,” Gonyi said.

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The activist group People Against Genocide stormed and vandalized Ultra Intelligence and Communications’ Aberdeen facility last night, while also claiming responsibility for a vandalism incident against the logistics firm DSV in Doncaster, England.

The incident in Aberdeen unfolded at 3:00 a.m., according to the group’s Instagram post; activists asserted that “Ultra I&C supply military hardware and tech to Israeli weapons firm Elbit Systems and to the Israeli military directly,” adding that “actions against the firm have continued to intensify” following previous actions targeting military satellites.

Video footage shared by the group on social media from inside the building showed extensive vandalism, with office furniture overturned, papers and debris strewn across floors, windows smashed, and equipment damaged. Activists wrote messages on interior surfaces, including “ULTRA KILLS KIDS” on a cabinet and “For the poor children of GAZA” on a wall, while a Palestinian flag was hung in a doorway.

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Activists arrested following Aberdeen break-in

Footage from the break-in also captured that the activists had barricaded the door, followed by exchanges between the activists and responding law enforcement officers. In the videos, police officers wearing high-visibility vests and protective gloves are seen entering the facility, instructing the activists to show their hands and stand up, before placing them in handcuffs and escorting them from the premises.

The group’s online posts framed the incident as a form of direct action against military supply chains and described themselves as a “group taking direct action to stop the UK-Israel weapons trade.“

A Police Scotland spokesperson said in a statement, “Around 9:40 am, we received a report of vandalism and a break-in at a business premises on Prospect Road, in the Westhill area of Aberdeenshire.

“Officers attended and two men, aged 39 and 18, were arrested and charged. They are due to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Monday, 10 August.”

Logistics firm DSV targeted in separate Doncaster incident

In a separate social media post shared last night, People Against Genocide also claimed responsibility for another action targeting the logistics firm DSV in Doncaster, England. According to the post, the group stated, “It is within our power to bring down the Israeli war machine in Britain, and so it must be done,” adding that they have taken action against the logistics firm “dozens of times, as it transports weapons for Israel’s biggest arms maker, Elbit Systems.”

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The accompanying video footage of the Doncaster incident showed an individual in dark clothing and gloves walking through a commercial facility or depot at night, repeatedly striking glass doors and entryways with a hammer while shattering the panels.

After the Jerusalem Post shared the footage with South Yorkshire Police, the force stated that the material had been passed on to the lead investigator handling an active probe into a prior attack at the same location last Wednesday.

The police said in a statement, “We received reports of criminal damage at Parkside Business Park on Spinners Road, Doncaster.”

Police noted that “a number of windows were smashed at a business premises on the site, and that a building was sprayed with graffiti.”

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Describing the ongoing steps, authorities added that “an investigation has been launched and officers are carrying out inquiries including CCTV checks,” noting that investigators believe “two men and a woman were involved in the incident.”

Police urged anyone with relevant details to come forward, requesting that “anyone with information that could aid our inquiries is asked to get in touch online or by calling 101, quoting incident number 167 of 5 August 2026.”

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These actions are part of a broader wave of disruptions and direct-action campaigns globally targeting Elbit Systems and other corporate entities linked to the Israeli defense supply chain.

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Hezbollah’s civilian arm has continued to operate in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, a pilot zone under the protection of the Lebanese Armed Forces, according to the Alma Research and Education Center.

As previously reported, Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization was able to operate within the zone only days after the LAF deployed to the village. Since then, the center has identified the presence of the Hezbollah-affiliated Wataawanou Association (the Cooperate with One Another Association). The association claims to provide water, food rations, and medical treatment to displaced persons, though it is closely affiliated with Hezbollah.

The association established a temporary center as early as July 29, according to the center, where it hosts the village council and provides services to support the returning residents of the village.

Hezbollah’s own Al Manar TV reported in late July that the association carried out its work in “cooperation with the social work sector of Hezbollah,” and the head of the association, Afif Shuman, also known as Abu al-Fadl, was previously identified by the center as a Hezbollah operative. Following the initial report by the center, Shuman confirmed to L’Orient Today that the group does “support the resistance.”

Lebanese media sites have described Wataawanou as linked to Hezbollah 

Other Lebanese media sites, including L’Orient Today, have also frequently described the group as linked to Hezbollah and the financial company Whish Money, which is licensed by the Central Bank of Lebanon, suspended the association’s account in 2025 for failing to provide documentation verifying the origins and destination of donations.

The center claimed that the operation of Wataawanou was to further create the conditions needed for Hezbollah to hold social and economic influence and dependency. It also allows Hezbollah to raise donations for the restoration of both its civilian and military infrastructure, the center alleged, including through an account at Hezbollah’s al-Qard al-Hasan bank.

This post was originally published on here. 

Several Palestinian analysts affiliated with Hamas dismissed Israel’s official rejection of the Board of Peace’s recent 15-point Gaza plan, arguing that Israel will be compelled to accept the terms of the agreement due to American and international pressure. 

They welcomed Hamas’s public apparent commitment to move forward with the roadmap despite Israeli opposition to the proposal, which conditions withdrawal on the full disarmament of Hamas, and claimed that Hamas’s stance demonstrates that the Palestinian side is not the obstacle to progressing to the next phase of the agreement.

Fayez Abu Shamala, a Gaza-based prominent analyst associated with Hamas, described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public statement as “election rhetoric with no connection to reality.”

“The enemy will be forced, against its wishes, to stop targeting people in Gaza and will expand work at the border crossings in the coming days.” Abu Shamala wrote on social media. “The enemy has lost the war in Gaza; the matter is settled,” his post read.

“Israel rejects the 15-point Gaza document proposed by the Board of Peace,” Netanyahu said on Sunday, adding, “The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.”

Hamas’s response to Netanyahu’s rejection

In response to Netanyahu’s public statement, Hamas said it affirms its adherence to what was agreed upon with the mediators and the Board of Peace. “We will continue to engage positively and responsibly with efforts aimed at completing the implementation of the roadmap, in a manner that guarantees an end to the suffering of our people and projects their rights and national interests,” the terror organization said.

Ibrahim al-Madhoun, another Palestinian analyst affiliated with Hamas, said that “Israel’s rejection of the plan confirms that the problem does not lie solely with the Palestinian side.” He added that “the current situation raises real concerns that Israel’s goal is to empty Gaza of its residents,” and emphasized that this moment “demands Palestinian unity more than ever before.”

A Palestinian political source unaffiliated with Hamas offered a different perspective, claiming that Hamas had anticipated Israel’s rejection of the plan. From a Palestinian perspective, “Netanyahu will not take any action before the Israeli elections,” they told The Jerusalem Post.

“Hamas has been waiting and hoping for this, so it can delay the issue of disarmament and also await the outcome of the elections in Israel,” they added.

Israel trying to dictate conditions of deal

One Palestinian Authority (PA) official said that Israel is trying to dictate the conditions of the deal, adding that the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah wasn’t surprised by Netanyahu’s statement.

“It was clear to us that Netanyahu’s government is not serious. We didn’t believe they would agree to implement the plan,” he said. “It shows that this government is not a partner for peace, but only for war,” the Palestinian official told the Post.

“Our position on Hamas’s weapons is clear; they need to be handed over to the legitimate Palestinian authority. But while Hamas has shown seriousness and made concessions because it was in their interest to reach a deal, Israel hasn’t made any,” the PA official claimed, referring also to Netanyahu’s statement on Sunday that “there will be no Palestinian state.”

Mohammed Dahlan, a prominent Palestinian politician said to have been engaged in the efforts to reach the Gaza roadmap, responded harshly, describing the Israeli rejection as “a challenge, contempt, and deception toward President Trump’s team, after the significant progress made by the Palestinian side.”

Dahlan claimed that the Americans and the mediators now “realize that Netanyahu is an obstacle to achieving security and stability,” noting in a post he wrote that the Israeli government “proves that what governs its behavior is a denial of Palestinian rights.”

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Headlines edited by Shir Perets and Lara Sukster Mosheyof.

Hosted and produced by Gadi Zaig.

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The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is likely to be viewed by Tehran as a major success resulting from its aerial attacks on Gulf states, regardless of how strong the new pact proves to be, experts told The Jerusalem Post late Monday.

Emirati researcher and foreign policy expert Huda Albadi told The Post that the pact was ineffectual, describing it as a “paper tiger,” but warned that it was a sign of a concerning regional mentality emerging that would see Israel cast as the destabilizing power, not Iran.  

Though the countries announced in their joint statement on Friday that an attack on any of the trio, Pakistan, Turkey or Saudi Arabia, would be seen as an attack on them all, Iranian deputy energy minister Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi said on Sunday that arrangements had been made for Iran to import 450 megawatts of electricity from.

The announcement came the same day that the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist organization attacked a Saudi Arabian oil refinery and after months of attacks from Iran and its proxies in Iraq.

“Saudi Arabia has not taken any action against any of the aggressors attacking its territory, meaning Iran, the Houthis and the militias in Iraq. They have not done anything about it,” she said. “However, they are looking at Israel as if it is the enemy. It is delusional at this point because you are being attacked on a daily basis by other aggressors, but you are focusing on a country that is not interested in you and has nothing to do with you.”

For Turkey, pact part of aspirations of Ottoman Empire

For Ankara, Albadi said the pact was part of its aspirations to return to the days of the powerful and expansive Ottoman Empire. “They try to meddle in every country they can, and it is not surprising coming from a government that is literally the Muslim Brotherhood. That is what they do. But I don’t think they are going to get anything out of it,” she said.

Though not speaking on behalf of the pact, only a day after the agreement was announced, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told Pakistan media that there should be “a united military front” against Israel, which he described as a “threat to the entire Muslim world.”

“Their attitude towards the Palestinians and their anti-Islamic mindset will not disappear. They continue to incite Muslim countries against each other,” he said, seemingly pointing blame at Israel for the attacks from Iran on Muslim states.

Albadi said that she doubted that any of the three countries truly placed blame on Israel, but that the Jewish state was a convenient scapegoat to avoid confronting Iran and Iran’s more domestic supporters. Though Sunni majority countries, Pakistan has between 20 and 40 million Shi’ites, Saudi Arabia has between two and four million, and Turkey has between seven and 20 million, according to official estimates and census data.

“Of course, they will come up with this propaganda or this narrative because that is the way to make it convenient for them so Iran can back down. But Iran is not going to back down,” she said. “Its actions, over and over again, have proven that its track record is really bad with any country you can think of. They have broken every agreement they have had… and then have the audacity to act like they are the victim.”

Iran seemingly welcomed the opportunity to adopt that narrative on Monday, when Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei celebrated the countries’ embrace of more regional powers in place of the US.

“Any plan that is based on the geopolitical and historical realities of the region, is comprehensive and inclusive, and correctly identifies the enemy and the threat, has a chance of helping to strengthen security and prevent instability and abuses by the Zionist enemy and its allies,” he added, referring to Israel.

As part of that convenient framing, the pact has also taken on a notably Sunni-Islamic religious identity, she said.

“Even in the official statement that came out of this pact, it says the pact is built on Islamic relations. It is very odd in this day and age for a country, for a state, to build relations and pacts based on religion. We are not in the seventh century. We are in 2026, yet people still use religion to appease others and appeal to their emotions,” Albadi said. “People in the Middle East are very emotional about their religion, and when they hear that the country that holds the two holy mosques is doing something, it carries a lot of weight.”

A Muslim alliance ‘against the enemies of the region,’ Israel

Even though Iran began attacking its fellow Islamic countries during Ramadan, “they want to give that this alliance is a Muslim alliance and an alliance against the enemies of the region, and what they mean by that is basically Israel.”

International relations expert Dr. Arman Mahmoudian, a research fellow at the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute, told The Post that outside of further complicating Jerusalem’s aspirations to normalize with Riyadh, it also showed efforts to reduce dependence on “any single external security guarantor,” potentially reducing the weight that Washington has in the region.

“One of the incentives behind Saudi normalization with Israel had been the possibility that it could facilitate a broader package with Washington, including stronger US security commitments and cooperation on civilian nuclear energy,” he said. “If Riyadh believes that Turkey and Pakistan can supplement its security architecture, the urgency of reaching such an arrangement through normalization with Israel diminishes somewhat.”

Still, Mahmoudian advised that the “agreement should not necessarily be interpreted as Riyadh joining an explicitly anti-Israel bloc,” even if Pakistan doesn’t recognize Israel and Turkey has maintained an “extremely strained political relationship.”

He suggested that Riyadh has not yet “shut the door” on the possibility of normalizing with Israel if political circumstances change, “particularly if there is meaningful movement on the Palestinian issue.”

Mahmoudian also claimed that Tehran would have a more complicated perspective on the agreement than what Baghaei was willing to admit.

“On the one hand, Iran will be uncomfortable with the emergence of a security framework bringing together Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan,” he outlined. ‘These are three major Sunni powers; Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons, and Turkey has one of the region’s strongest conventional militaries. Particularly following the recent confrontation between Iran and the Gulf states, Tehran cannot completely dismiss the possibility that part of the agreement’s purpose is to strengthen deterrence against Iran and Iran-aligned actors.”

However, he said, Tehran is likely to view positively the fact that security arrangements are being sought without the US’s involvement. Moreover, he continued, “if closer Saudi cooperation with Turkey and Pakistan makes normalization with Israel more difficult, that would certainly be welcomed in Tehran.”

“I would characterize the agreement less as the emergence of a coherent ‘Sunni NATO’ and more as another indication that the Middle East is moving toward a more fragmented and multipolar security architecture, in which states are hedging by developing several overlapping partnerships rather than relying exclusively on one alliance or great power,” he concluded. 

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I recall corresponding with a friend back in November 1959, toward the elections to the fourth Knesset. I was not yet of voting age, but my friend was, and what he wrote to me left a deep impression in my memory: “The elections will bring about no change: Mapai will win, and what was is what will be.”

Indeed, David Ben-Gurion’s Mapai received 47 Knesset seats, and Menachem Begin’s Herut party – which came in second – received 17. One could describe the situation as rigid and predictable.

It was to take another 18 years before the political “upheaval” finally shook our political system out of this stalemate – long after demographic and cultural changes had started raising emotions to dangerously high levels.

Today, our political situation is again stuck in a sort of rigidity, but one that is very different from 1959’s. This rigidity once again encourages stalemate: a situation in which the most either side can hope for is a very marginal victory – nothing that promises real stability, with no party predicted to receive more than half of the number of seats Mapai had received in 1959. I hate to think what the demographic and cultural changes behind it all might eventually bring about.

This isn’t a preordained situation, but rather is man-made. Every generation it has different causes. Today, it results from the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convinced that only his all-Right/religious coalition can ensure his political survival (which seems to be his be-all and end-all), while the rather fragile Right/Center/Left bloc facing him cooperates with this game with the “just not Bibi” slogan. 

In the upcoming elections, only MK Benny Gantz (Blue and White) seeks to break this paradigm – but his chances of passing the 3.25% qualifying threshold are naught.

Until September 28, the final date that lists can register with the Central Elections Committee for participation in the elections, it is very difficult to predict the election results with any accuracy, since we do not know exactly which lists will be running.

At the moment, there are three Right/Center or right-wing groups that are considering running (Gilad Erdan/Yuli Edelstein, Yoaz Hendel/Chilli Troper, Benny Gantz/Dedi Simchi), all of which are hoping to attract former Likud voters who have not yet found a satisfactory alternative home (see below).

These groups appear to agree on the need to enlist haredim to military or national service, and disagree over which group they are unwilling to sit with in a future government. According to recent polls, none of them seems likely to pass the qualifying threshold, should they run on their own. They have about a month left to get their acts together.

We do not yet know how many Arab lists will participate in the elections, and whether one of them – Ra’am – will put former Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz in the second slot on its list as its potential candidate for National Security Minister.

There are predictions that the Arab lists will garner 10-15 Knesset seats, which will greatly affect the election results.
Another unknown is whether a new haredi party – The Haredi Public, which seeks to integrate the haredi sector more closely into Israeli society, without breaking away from the haredi community – will finally decide to run independently. 

The party was founded by the deputy mayor of Beit Shemesh Motti Leitner (who is Ashkenazi), and there are rumors that former Shas leader Eli Yishai (Sephardi) may join. Both Leitner and Yishai have served in the IDF.

Recent polls suggest opposition parties will gain six to 10 seats more than the current coalition parties

While these are some of the major unknowns that could affect the election results, there are several facts we do know.

Most opinion polls appear to agree that the current opposition parties running in the 26th Knesset elections will receive six to 10 seats more than the current coalition parties. They also indicate that Likud is liable to lose around a third of the 32 seats that it received in the elections for the 25th Knesset.

This suggests that around two-thirds of the Likud’s 2022 voters have not been convinced by the events of the last four years to change course, and that for them, Netanyahu remains “the one and only.”

In fact, events of the last four years did not raise any second thoughts among the majority of Likud voters. Inter alia, they included: attempts by the government to carry out a judicial revolution by legislative means; the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre and Netanyahu’s refusal to take responsibility for it, or set up a state commission of inquiry to investigate its causes; three years of a multi-front war, at an exorbitant cost, in which Israel won some impressive battles, but attained none of its declared goals. 

Additionally, Likud voters seem unfazed by the government makeup, which has undermined Israel’s liberal democratic and Zionist principles as proclaimed by Israel’s Declaration of Independence, or by the serious malfunctions in which the current Prime Minister’s Office and government operate, or the evidence regarding Netanyahu’s faltering health and cognitive faculties.

It is said that Netanyahu is aware that, in all likelihood, the Likud will not be called upon to form the next government. In an effort to make the Likud party list more attractive, there are last-minute efforts to manipulate its primaries (to be held next Monday), and a smear campaign against Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, who is Netanyahu’s most serious rival for the premiership. It is said that Netanyahu is hoping for a deadlock, which would lead to another round of elections.

That is what happened after the elections to the 21st Knesset in April 2019, and again in the elections to the 22nd Knesset in September 2019. The result was Netanyahu heading Israel’s 34th government and serving for five years, through Israel’s 20th, 21st, 22nd, and the beginning of the 23rd Knesset.

Hopefully, this is not where we are heading, and that despite everything, a new, stable government will lead Israel back on track, while avoiding civil strife. We shall all be the wiser on October 28.

The writer has written journalistic and academic articles, as well as several books, on international relations, Zionism, Israeli politics, and parliamentarism. From 1994 to 2010, she worked at the Knesset Library and the Knesset Research and Information Center.

This post was originally published on here. 

A few days ago, a thanksgiving celebration was held for Elkana Levi, an officer in the Golani Brigade who was badly wounded in Khan Yunis a year ago and lost both his legs. You may remember him as “Elkana ben Orit,” the name so many people mentioned in their prayers for his recovery.

More recently, a video from the celebration went viral, showing singer Ravid Plotnik, who came to perform for him. We’ve grown accustomed to moments like these: brief, powerful, moving – and then quickly gone.

But one of the people who attended the celebration urged me to get hold of Elkana’s entire speech. Forty minutes long. Here are some of the highlights:

“Exactly one year ago today, I was blown up. Exactly one year ago today, I had no idea how much goodness there was in this world,” he declared, standing on two prosthetic legs. And then he began listing that goodness.

“I will never have the words to thank the extraordinary people who cared for me at Soroka Hospital, from the doctors to the orderlies. I felt as though I were at summer camp, with the best staff in the world. Every person there, every experience there, is a good memory for me.

‘At Soroka I opened my eyes… I have felt embraced’

“At Soroka, I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was a picture that children from a kindergarten had sent me. From that moment on, I have felt embraced. I have no legs, but it’s hard to explain how much my heart has expanded. My happiness doesn’t depend on the number of steps I can take.”

The audience applauded, as they would dozens more times throughout the evening. It was clear to everyone that this was a moment of healing, of coming full circle.

“Already in intensive care, I was dreaming about this thanksgiving celebration. Thank you for coming,” he said.

Elkana did not gloss over the pain or the difficulty. He spoke about friends who had been killed, and about his darkest moments.

“I feel that people don’t understand me – and that they don’t understand that they don’t understand me. How can someone understand what it’s like when the battery dies in your leg, or in your wheelchair? How can someone understand what it’s like to walk so awkwardly, then try to sit down without knowing whether you’ll be able to get back up? Or to walk down the street feeling like a celebrity, as though you belong to everyone? How can someone understand what it’s like to become the center of attention before you’ve even opened your mouth?”

Throughout his speech, Elkana quoted three spiritual teachers. The first was the prophet Isaiah, whose prophecies brought messages of comfort.

“Isaiah teaches us that God has thoughts of peace and hope for all of us. That He will comfort us. He says: ‘You shall draw water with joy from the wells of salvation.’ I feel surrounded by tremendous kindness and deliverance, and I believe there are many more salvations still ahead of us.”

He also quoted Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, who wrote repeatedly about the importance of giving thanks, learning to notice the good and, as Elkana put it, “putting the good in the center.”

Elkana acknowledged every stage of the journey from his injury until that evening, thanking the people who had accompanied him along the way.

There was one particularly unusual thank-you: “I want to thank those who aren’t here with us today – my dear legs. I want to thank you for 23 years of love and devotion. I never realized how hard you worked all that time.

“Since I was injured, I’ve traveled all over the country, and everywhere I go looks familiar. That’s thanks to you. You carried me with love through so many hikes and navigation exercises. And thanks to the parts of you that still remain with me, I will merit to continue to ‘walk before the Lord in the land of the living.’”

His third teacher was the Tanya, the foundational work of Chabad Chassidic thought. Elkana quoted a profound line from the book in Aramaic, translated it into Hebrew – and then translated it into the reality of his own body: “There’s a sentence in the Tanya that contains everything: ‘Pain cries out from one side of the heart, and joy cries out from the other.’

“That is exactly what it feels like. At every moment, I know I don’t have legs. I feel that absence throughout my body. And at the same time, I am doing so well. This is one of the best periods of my life.

“So that’s my formula, and that’s my advice to others: learn to go through the pain and grow from it. To truly feel sadness, and truly feel joy – and to be able to live with those two opposites at the same time.”

Thank you, Elkana.

Do We Want to Go With the Flow – or Grow?

This week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, opens with the command: “Judges and officers shall you appoint for yourself in all your gates.”

First and foremost, this is a command to establish a functioning system of courts and law enforcement. But the verse also speaks to each of us personally. Every one of us needs to appoint our own “judges and officers,” to develop a system of self-awareness and self-scrutiny.

Rabbi Mordechai Sheinberger offered a beautiful explanation of this idea, which we studied yesterday in the weekly Zoom class of the Mitchadshot community: “Each of us has several gates that connect us to the world: the gate of sight – our eyes; the gate of hearing – our ears; the gate of speech – our mouth; the gate of smell – our nose; and the gate of touch – our hands and feet.

“Each person needs to place judges and officers at all of these gates: to purify and sanctify them, and to make proper use of them. For example, every time I look at something, I should ask myself: Is this leading me toward something good, or the opposite?

“There is hearing that can lead to wrongdoing – listening to lashon hara and gossip – and there is hearing that is a mitzvah, such as listening to Torah classes.

“The same is true of our mouths: there is speech that causes harm, and there is speech that brings blessing into the world.”

May we learn to pay greater attention to our own gates and guard them well.

5 Things to Know About the New Month of Elul

1. A month for beginning again

This Thursday and Friday we mark Rosh Chodesh Elul. The final month of the year, Elul is traditionally devoted to teshuvah – reflection, repair and return. It is a time for self-examination, improvement and starting again.

In other words, we have been given a gift: a designated period to take stock of our lives and make changes for the better as we approach the new year.

2. Why is Elul so special?

On Rosh Chodesh Elul, Moshe ascended Mount Sinai following the sin of the Golden Calf and the breaking of the first Tablets. He went up to express the Jewish people’s remorse and to ask God for forgiveness. Forty days later, on Yom Kippur, he came down carrying the second, complete set of Tablets – and with the news that God had forgiven the people.

Ever since, the forty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur have been days associated with closeness, forgiveness and reconciliation.

They carry a powerful message: we can repair what has been broken.

3. “The Lord is my light and my salvation”

Beginning on Rosh Chodesh Elul and continuing through the High Holiday season, there is a custom to recite Psalm 27 each day. It begins with the words: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

These powerful words, written by King David, remind us that both personally and nationally, even in the face of anxiety and threats, there is direction and purpose. There is a source of light and salvation.

4. Special prayers – and the sound of the shofar

As on every Rosh Chodesh, there are special additions to the prayers and to the Grace After Meals, including Ya’aleh Veyavo. We also recite Hallel, a collection of Psalms expressing praise and thanksgiving.

Throughout Elul, Ashkenazi communities traditionally sound the shofar at the end of the morning service.

And beginning Monday night, August 15, Sephardic communities begin reciting Selichot, the special prayers for forgiveness.

5. “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine”

The Hebrew letters of the word “Elul” form an acronym for the verse: Ani l’dodi v’dodi li,  “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” It alludes to the concept that during this month, God is especially close to us, like a beloved – and that we, in turn, are invited to draw closer to Him.

There is another beautiful expression associated with Elul: “The King is in the field.” The image is of a king leaving his palace and coming out to meet his people where they are. God is close, available, and accessible.

And so, from the bottom of our hearts, we wish one another a good month, and as we already begin saying at this time of year: Ketivah v’chatimah tovah, May we all be written and sealed for a good year!

Want to read more by Sivan Rahav Meir? Google The Daily Thought or visit sivanrahavmeir.com

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Iran sees no reason to be concerned that a new security pact between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia is directed against Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.

Baghaei said the pact showed a shift in regional countries’ approach to security, with greater reliance on their own capabilities rather than outside powers.

“Any plan that is based on the geopolitical and historical realities of the region, is comprehensive and inclusive, and correctly identifies the enemy and the threat, has a chance of helping to strengthen security and prevent instability and abuses by the Zionist enemy and its allies,” he added, referring to Israel.

Pakistan specifies agreement not directed against any country

Pakistan‘s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar specified that the agreement was not directed against any country and that other countries may join the pact in a post on X/Twitter on Sunday. 

Dar added that the Mecca Agreement is purely defensive in nature, is not directed against any country, and is aimed solely at further strengthening ongoing efforts for peace, stability and prosperity across the wider region.

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The Mersham organization of medical professionals in Israel came out against the recent allegations against Arab staff at the Rambam Health Care Campus on Monday, calling it “racist incitement.”

“The Israeli health system relies daily on the joint work of doctors, nurses, and medical staff, Jews and Arabs, doctors in every person regardless of religion, nationality, or political position,” Mersham stated.

“It is possible and necessary to examine what concerns medical treatment. But when they speak out, and public figures join the attack, the damage seeps into the entire system.”

The Chairman of the Israel Association of Public Health Physicians, Professor Hagai Levine, also rejected the public response to the allegations.

“The plots against Rambam Hospital are sabotaging the entire health system,” he stated. 

“Lies born on social media about treatment at Rambam are not just ‘fake news’ – they are a dangerous blood libel aimed at dismantling from within the only system that still functions as an island of sanity and equality in Israel. When politicians spread nonsense about ‘medical death’ or treating the enemy at the expense of civilians, they do not only harm Arab teams – they harm every patient, Jewish or Arab, who enters the hospital door.”

Katz calls for investigation after soldier’s brother alleges mistreatment

On Saturday, the brother of one of four soldiers recently wounded in Lebanon claimed that the troops were severely mistreated by Rambam’s staff during their overnight stay at the Haifa hospital.

Rambam stated that, after an investigation, it rejected all claims of wrongdoing by its staff toward the wounded soldiers.

Later, Defense Minister Israel Katz called for an IDF investigation into allegations levied on Saturday against Arab hospital employees accused of mistreating the four soldiers.

Batya Giladi contributed to this report.

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Businessman and CEO of grocery chain AM:PM, Shirel Hogeg, announced he had joined Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party on Monday morning.

“Shirel is a symbol of the citizens who rose up after October 7, took responsibility, and decided to act in order to lead Israel toward repair. He is a sharp and clear voice in the call for a state commission of inquiry,” Eisenkot said.

“Shirel has extensive experience in managing and streamlining systems and companies. We will restore professionalism and excellence by streamlining government operations and assessing every government decision through the lens of its benefit to the citizen.”

Hogeg, a resident of Ofakim, where he was born and raised, has held a series of senior positions in the business sector and became an outspoken voice for reform in the aftermath of October 7.

“October 7 exposed to all of us the depth of the failure and the price we pay when state systems do not function, but it also proved the tremendous strength that exists in Israeli society and in the people who get up, take responsibility, and act for the good of the country,” Hogeg stated.

“After years of neglect and prioritizing political needs over national ones, we need to build an excellent, professional public service free of extraneous considerations, one that understands that the citizen is not an inconvenience but the reason for its existence.”

Hogeg also described a program he would be leading as part of Yashar designed to “bring Israeli excellence, innovation, and entrepreneurship into government ministries, improve the quality of decision-making processes, and help build a more efficient, advanced, and service-oriented country for every citizen, everywhere.”

Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Israel Zari joins Yashar

Last week, Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor and head of the Diamond Exchange District Administration, Israel Zari, also joined the Yashar party.

Previous recruits include former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, economist Shaul Meridor, former minister Matan Kahana, former minister and MK Orit Farkash-Hacohen, former Aharai CEO Inbar Harush Giti, social activist Alex Rif, attorney Inbar Yehezkeli, educator Dvora Sharifian Bachar, former Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. (res.) Kamil Abu Rokon, Drom HaSharon Regional Council head Oshrat Gani Gonen, and social activist Yaffa Tabaja.

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Dr. Aliza Bloch, former mayor of Beit Shemesh, announced on Monday that she is joining the new party established by Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstan and expressed her ambition to become the next education minister.

Bloch enters national politics following years of experience in management and education.

As mayor of Beit Shemesh, she led one of Israel’s most complex cities, home to secular, religious, haredi (ultra-Orthodox), and traditional communities.

Bloch’s history of education reform

During her term, she expanded the city’s state haredi education frameworks, based on the belief that haredi children can maintain their identity while also receiving the tools needed to integrate into Israeli society through education, employment, and service.

“Beit Shemesh taught me that it is possible to bring different communities together, but only when people are prepared to truly work at it, not through headlines and not through bloc politics. Education is where we begin building belonging, responsibility, and a shared life,” Bloch said in the past.

Bloch has also described the education system as central to addressing one of the most difficult issues facing Israeli society, equality in sharing the burden.

“Equality in sharing the burden does not begin at age 18 and is not built through legislation alone. It begins with education, a sense of belonging, and responsibility from a young age. I am not against the haredim. I am worried about politics that leaves an entire public outside Israeli responsibility. In Beit Shemesh, we proved that it is possible to create frameworks that respect haredi identity while also connecting children to the state, education, employment, and service.”

Since the outbreak of the war, Bloch has spent part of each week living in Kiryat Shmona, where she has worked to strengthen the education system in northern Israel.

As president of the Israel Arts and Science Academy, she initiated the establishment of centers of excellence for students in the city. She is currently working with the mayor of Netivot and the Education Ministry to establish a high school for gifted and outstanding students in science and the arts.

Bloch chooses Erdan and Edelstein

As the election approached, reports increasingly indicated that Bloch, considered a highly regarded figure in both local and national politics, was holding talks about joining one of the parties expected to run for the Knesset, with education at the top of her priorities.

In recent weeks, it emerged that she had held talks with Benny Gantz as well as with Likud, where she was reportedly offered a reserved spot on the party’s next Knesset slate.

Bloch has now made her decision. She is the first person to join the new party established by former Likud members Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein.

The two announced in recent days that they were forming a new right-wing party as an alternative to Israel’s existing right-wing parties. In announcing the move, they criticized Likud and emphasized the importance of IDF service.

Announcing the establishment of the party, Erdan said: “This is one of the most difficult days of my life, but also one of the most important days of my life. Tonight I am saying goodbye to the political home where I grew up for more than 30 years. Unfortunately, I can no longer call it home. Likud’s elected officials no longer represent Likud voters, whom I love so much.” 

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Three minors aged 13 and 14 from Beersheba were indicted on Sunday on charges that they threatened two other minors and forced them to perform sexual acts on one another while filming the incident, according to an indictment filed with the Beersheba District Court sitting as a juvenile court.

The indictment, filed by attorney Shirel Farjun of the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office, states that several days earlier, during the nighttime hours, the two complainants were returning home after meeting friends at a park in the city. At the time, the defendants were sitting on a nearby bench, allegedly carrying a kitchen knife and drinking alcohol.

According to the indictment, the main defendant called on the complainants to approach him. From that point, the defendants allegedly subjected them to severe abuse for approximately two hours.

Among other things, prosecutors alleged that the defendants assaulted the complainants and used threats to force them to perform sexual acts on one another. The main defendant allegedly threatened them with a knife and held it against the neck of one of the complainants on at least four separate occasions. Another defendant allegedly struck the complainants.

The indictment further states that the main defendant deleted applications from one complainant’s cellphone in an effort to prevent him from being located. During the incident, the defendants allegedly filmed what was happening and mocked the complainants.

According to the indictment, the defendants continued their actions despite the complainants’ resistance and repeated requests that they stop both the acts and the filming.

Defendants threatened to harm victims’ family members

Only after the mother of one of the complainants called him did the main defendant allegedly instruct him to lie to her about his location.

The defendants later returned the complainants’ cellphones and clothing and allegedly threatened them not to tell anyone what had happened, warning that otherwise they would harm their family members. The defendants then fled the scene.

The complainants got dressed and returned to their homes frightened and shaking, where they reported the incident.

In a request to keep the main defendant in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings, Farjun wrote that he had exploited the complainants’ fear in order to degrade and humiliate them.

She stated that the defendant did not leave them or relent despite their repeated requests until he had achieved his objective, adding that the severity of his alleged actions indicated serious distortions in his thinking.

Defendants charged with rape, extortion, obstructing investigation

The defendants are charged with rape under aggravated circumstances committed jointly, indecent acts under aggravated circumstances committed jointly, extortion by threats committed jointly, and obstruction of an investigation.

The main defendant is additionally charged with rape under aggravated circumstances and violating a lawful order, after allegedly committing the offenses while under house arrest.

Prosecutors requested that the main defendant remain in custody until the conclusion of proceedings. Regarding the other defendants, prosecutors requested an extension of the restrictive conditions imposed on them.

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Torrential rain and storms in Typhoon Dolphin’s wake inundated several provinces in China’s east, drenching the coastal region and flooding streets in Shanghai, where around 40% of flights were grounded on Monday due to the weather.

Dolphin packed maximum sustained winds of 151 km/h near its center when it made landfall in Zhejiang, the province to the south and west of Shanghai, on Sunday evening before weakening to a tropical storm.

Its remaining rain clouds continued to soak the eastern provinces including Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong on Monday.

Many streets in Shanghai, the country’s second most populated city, were flooded, including in the main commercial centers.

The city’s two airports canceled a total of 943 flights due to the typhoon, reducing capacity by nearly 40%, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Streets remain waterlogged, flights grounded

China Eastern Airlines said on Monday it was trying to resume flights to Shanghai, Zhejiang and other destinations in an “orderly manner.”

Many streets in Shanghai’s suburban Jiading and Qingpu districts around the city center remained waterlogged, according to live-streams shared by residents on social media. The live videos, not verified by Reuters, showed people wading through knee-high murky water.

“It rained almost all night last night. When I woke up this morning, I found the neighborhood flooded, and the streets were severely flooded,” said 39-year-old Hou Lina, who works in sales in Jiading in Shanghai.

“I’ve lived in Shanghai for 10 years, and this is the first time I’ve experienced such inconvenience from a typhoon. This is the first time I’ve encountered such widespread flooding,” she told Reuters.

In Shanghai’s Jinshan, the district authority said non-essential businesses and organizations could temporarily halt operations, classes, outdoor events and transit services, amid forecasts of continued strong winds and heavy rain on Monday.

Powerful winds and lashing rain flipped over a truck in Zhejiang’s Wenzhou, a video posted on TikTok on Sunday showed. It was not clear what happened to the driver.

Rain and flood warnings for Beijing

The strongest typhoon to hit China this year, Dolphin, is forecast to move deeper inland to the central provinces of Hubei and Henan in the coming days while also pushing moisture north.

Authorities in the capital Beijing raised warnings for torrential rain and said the city was prepared to activate its flood control response on Tuesday morning.

Beijing is expected to experience “significant rainfall” from Tuesday until Thursday, with authorities warning of the risk of flash floods in the city and landslides in the surrounding mountainous areas.

The typhoon had already traveled 6,000 km (3,728 miles) before it made landfall, giving it a life-cycle three times longer than an ordinary typhoon, and bringing with it an ultra-large cloud system that enveloped China’s east, CCTV said in another report.

Dolphin’s impact was also being compared to Doksuri in 2022. That typhoon crossed the country after causing destruction in southeastern Fujian province, unleashing record-breaking rainfall in Beijing.

As the storm clouds meet colder air in the north, Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will need to brace for rains into Thursday, CCTV said.

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A young Netanya resident was violently attacked by a group of about 20 teenagers on the promenade in Eilat last Wednesday evening after he refused to give a cigarette to a teenager who asked him for one.

The cigarette was apparently intended for a female friend of the teenager.

The young man, Eliya Nahum, was then attacked by the teenager’s friends. The group of attackers was called to the scene and began punching Nahum, kicking, and severely assaulting him. His friend, who was with him, tried to stop them, but the attackers pushed him away and continued beating Nahum.

A Magen David Adom team called to the scene evacuated Nahum to Yoseftal Medical Center in the city, where it was determined that he was suffering from a dislocated shoulder, bleeding, and severe injuries throughout his body.

After receiving treatment at Yoseftal, he traveled to his hometown of Netanya, where he underwent examinations at Laniado Hospital. He was later released while still suffering from the injuries he sustained.

The young man filed a complaint with police, who opened an investigation into the incident and began trying to locate suspects involved in the violent attack.

Police said in a response that an investigation was opened upon receiving the complaint and that a range of investigative measures had begun, including collecting testimony, evidence, and findings from the scene of the attack.

Six arrested for Eilat promenade assault

Following the investigation, six teenagers suspected of involvement in the incident were arrested. They were brought before the Eilat Magistrate’s Court for a hearing on extending their detention, and the court ordered that they be transferred to house arrest under restrictive conditions.

Police brought them back to court on Monday for another hearing, requesting an extension of the house arrest under restrictive conditions. The court granted the request and extended the restrictions on the six until Wednesday.

Police said the investigation into the incident is continuing in order to establish the truth and bring all those involved in the attack to justice.

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Israel and Lebanon discussed what was referred to as a “civilian prisoner exchange deal” during recent negotiations, with Israeli officials raising the possibility of transferring the remains of Jews buried in Lebanese cemeteries to Israel, Hezbollah-linked Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported on Monday.

According to the report, the issue arose during discussions over Lebanese prisoners and detainees held by Israel, and was specifically in relation to people classified by Israel as civilians whose affiliation with Hezbollah was not known, but nevertheless posed a threat to IDF troops and were therefore detained.

The Israeli representatives specifically referred to what Al-Akhbar described as a significant number of remains buried in Jewish cemeteries in Beirut and Sidon.

This is a developing story.

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Fears of a wider conflict are growing in Iran, even though negotiations are ongoing. Although US President Donald Trump has called off the most recent threat of a renewed operation, civilians still brace for possible damage to vital infrastructure. In addition, labor unrest, economic hardship and protests over executions continue to test the authorities’ ability to contain domestic discontent.  

Last week, President Trump canceled a planned strike while diplomatic efforts continue, and it remains unclear whether Israel would take part in any further operation. At the same time, civil protests in different cities, including demonstrations by pensioners, have intensified, and the government, having lost its principal leaders, is preparing itself for a scenario of urban warfare against armed opponents. 

Minoo (full name withheld for security reasons), a left-wing student at a university in Tehran, told The Media Line: “The Islamic Republic has no option but to engage in warmongering in order to survive, because under conditions of peace it would have no justification for keeping its armed forces in the streets under the pretext of war.”  

She said that the presence of Iranian armed forces is not intended as a display of power or as propaganda. Instead, she said, it stems from fear of a popular uprising, referring to the January 8 and 9, 2026 uprising as “a revolt of the underprivileged classes.”  

“Although it lacked unified leadership on the ground, it demonstrated how millions of people, if equipped with a clear program and objective, as well as revolutionary and progressive leadership, could overthrow the regime,” she asserted.

End to hostilities could intensify internal clashes

In Minoo’s opinion, although war may tie down part of the regime’s military forces, an end to external hostilities could intensify confrontation between protesters and the authorities. She argued that the conflict gives the government a pretext to tighten domestic repression. 

There are many signs of confusion and disorder within the structure of government following the January uprising and the deaths of its principal leaders. The most important of these is the apparent absence of effective leadership by Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public, although President Masoud Pezeshkian recently said he had spoken with him for more than an hour.

Claims circulating online about Mojtaba Khamenei’s health and possible serious injuries could not be independently verified by The Media Line.  

What is certain is that the absence of the Islamic Republic’s presumed leader, like the Shiite Hidden Imam, is causing division and demoralization among the small percentage of the population who remain attached to the regime because of their economic interests, their involvement in the crimes of recent decades, and, of course, their rigid Shiite religious dogmatism.

Meanwhile, strikes and protests over living conditions are intensifying by the day and could once again repeat the process that led to the January uprising. 

Many political activists inside the country believe that, had an exclusivist current based outside the country not intervened in that uprising with false promises and unleashed a bloodbath, the movement, with its legitimate demands, could have crushed the regime.

Parishad Kavyani, a human rights and women’s rights activist, told The Media Line that the courage of the Iranian people amid war and bloody repression is admirable. “At a time when bombs are falling, repression is intensifying, and the future is shrouded in uncertainty, people are still taking to the streets to demand freedom, justice and an end to executions. Their message is clear: this struggle did not begin with the war, and it will not end when the war ends.” 

In her view, the main challenge now is over who has the right to speak on behalf of the Iranian people. Different sectors of society have united against the wave of executions of regime opponents and are protesting. Referring to public fear of a war that some Iranians abroad have welcomed, she said: “We must not overlook the suffering caused by the war itself. Once again, it is ordinary Iranian citizens who are paying the price. Families are grieving, local communities are living with fear and uncertainty, and civilians are trapped between forces over which they have no control.” 

The Iranian people deserve safety, dignity, right to determine own future

“The Iranian people deserve neither war nor repression. They deserve safety, dignity, freedom and the right to determine their own future,” she said. 

While the regime has erected gallows for public executions in Isfahan and other parts of the country, the courage of those sentenced to death and of the people who gather in protest demonstrates that, despite the Islamic regime’s unprecedented massacre and brutality last January, the people are no longer afraid and are taking to the streets.  

At the same time, the Islamic Republic’s war-ravaged economy cannot withstand another war, and the government has lost control of affairs. Economists inside the country are already warning, even in heavily censored media outlets, that the foundations of the economy are being destroyed. 

Even without economists’ warnings that Iran’s economic situation is becoming more critical, many ordinary people are experiencing rampant inflation in their daily lives. Most factories and major manufacturing workshops in Tehran and other large cities have either closed or are operating at reduced capacity, due to the wartime economy, raw material shortages, and repeated power cuts, whether scheduled or unscheduled. Many workers and employees have joined the growing ranks of the unemployed. 

Shahin, a skilled industrial worker in one of Iran’s cities, says that over the two weeks of US attacks in the south of the country, inflation increased day by day even in other Iranian cities and, for some food products, hour by hour. He told The Media Line that the price of bread, a staple food, rose by more than 20% during the attacks compared with several weeks earlier, fuelling further discontent.  

A mid-ranking manager in Iran who is familiar with military affairs told The Media Line that the regime has entered survival mode and is attempting, through certain military maneuvers, to secure greater concessions from the United States in exchange for ending the military confrontation. 

“During this period, it is also silencing protests and prominent opposition figures inside the country, while seeking to extricate itself from the crisis through an accommodation with the West, so that sanctions can be lifted, foreign investment can reduce hyperinflation and, through easing economic problems, the danger of growing public discontent can be diminished,” he said. 

Despite a framework agreement that provided for the government’s gradual access to frozen assets, followed by the possibility of oil sales and the lifting of sanctions in subsequent negotiations, the Islamic Republic has instead sought greater concessions from the United States through waging war. 

What could disrupt these calculations, however, is the escalation of protests by pensioners, teachers, students and workers across the country, who have once again demonstrated their presence despite severe repression and the widespread arrest of leaders of trade unions and professional associations. Some people inside the country call this process a situation of No Return.

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Iran is more afraid of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent than Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

“When they’re coming to the table with our negotiators, they are talking about cash, cash, cash. Because they’ll absorb the bombings,” he said.

“They don’t care about their military, they don’t care about their soldiers, or even the Iranian people after they massacred 40,000 of them.”

“This is a corrupt elite religious fanatic regime that has devastated that country for many, many decades. They are asking for access to cash, access to their assets that we have frozen; that’s the squeeze. That coupled with the blockade, that’s what’s going to eventually get the Iranians to move.”

Trump, US officials emphasize strain on Iran’s economy 

US President Donald Trump also emphasized the economic pressure on Iran in a phone call with Axios on Sunday. 

“We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” he stated.

One US official told Axios that during active warfare, Tehran can temporarily avoid dealing with the economic consequences of the fighting, but as strikes have paused, it is forced to confront the reality of its economic situation, with no solution easily available. 

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. 

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Pakistan has made it clear that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is not directed against any country and that other countries may also join the pact. 

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made these remarks in a post on X on Sunday. 

The remarks by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister are particularly significant in the context of earlier comments by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, who had said that “the Islamic world must unite to confront the common threat posed by Israel,” Asif said after the agreement was signed.  

Dar added that the Mecca Agreement is purely defensive in nature, is not directed against any country, and is aimed solely at further strengthening ongoing efforts for peace, stability and prosperity across the wider region. 

He said the Mecca Agreement is the result of several years of discussions and mutual consultations, aimed at strengthening strategic cooperation to address various security challenges and promote peace, stability and prosperity across the region.

A Middle Eastern NATO, collective self-defense

According to Dar, the agreement does not supersede or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between the three countries, nor does it affect their existing agreements with other countries or organizations. 

It also stipulates that an external armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three. This principle is consistent with the right of individual and collective self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. 

Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working closely with all brotherly countries in the region to promote lasting peace and stability: “We remain committed to advancing efforts for the peaceful resolution of all disputes and to building a safer, more stable and prosperous future for our people.” 

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the agreement in Mecca on Friday in the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  

Meanwhile, The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) hailed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement as an “important strategic step.” OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said the agreement would help strengthen security and stability in the region and the Muslim world. 

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The announcement by US President Donald Trump that Washington intends to “low-key it” on the Iran issue has reignited debate over the White House’s changing policy toward the ayatollah regime.

Suleiman Maswadeh, a commentator for Channel 13 News, addressed the developments in a conversation on 103FM, warning that even the current statement does not necessarily indicate the direction the American president will choose going forward.

“I’ve stopped being worried or getting excited about Trump’s statements. Tomorrow it could be different, and the day after tomorrow he could change course again. Tomorrow he could declare war, and three days later announce a deal, and next week it could flip again,” Maswadeh said.

According to him, one of the considerations influencing Trump is the domestic political arena in the United States, particularly the midterm elections to be held in November. Maswadeh noted that from the outset it was clear that these elections would pose a significant political challenge for the president.

“From day one, we talked about how the midterm elections were problematic and troubling elections. The midterms are only in November. I think Trump is currently pleased with the economic siege imposed on Iran and the damage it is doing to their economy. I don’t know how pleased Israel will be with this, but when the Iranian people are hungry and reduced to living on bread alone, the Revolutionary Guards will grow stronger. Trump has chosen a side. I don’t want to say the side of the Arab states, but that’s the situation,” he said.

Maswadeh also pointed to what he described as a gap between the aspirations presented at the beginning of the negotiations and the current situation. “Look at the fiasco,” he said. “We were at the memorandum of understanding, which was supposed to be the path toward a comprehensive agreement. Now we’re talking about an agreement that is actually below the level of the memorandum of understanding, and it isn’t even between the United States and Iran. It’s between Oman and Iran – and even that still isn’t happening.”

Despite the relatively reassuring statements currently coming from Washington, Maswadeh believes the possibility of escalation remains on the table, mainly because of Trump’s unpredictable nature and provocative statements from Tehran.

“Trump could decide that his ego has been hurt so badly that he has to return to war. With him, anything is possible. The Iranians are really humiliating him. I feel like they’re practically begging Trump to attack them. Every day there’s another statement from another senior official saying, ‘We humiliated the United States, we achieved what we wanted.’ The reality is somewhat farther from what they portray. The Iranians are liars. Their economy has been hit very hard,” he said.

Israel in strong position in Gaza, despite Hamas rebuilding strength

Later in the conversation, Maswadeh turned to the Israeli arena and the situation in the Gaza Strip, against the backdrop of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to the 15-point plan for the future of the Strip. According to him, on the military front, Israel is currently in a strong position on the ground, even though Hamas has not yet been defeated.

“From a security standpoint, Israel’s situation in Gaza is very good. People will say that Hamas is still standing, and that’s true. In terms of territory, Israel controls almost 70% of the Gaza Strip. That is an enormous number. Huge percentages. This is the most densely populated area in the world, and that was before the IDF controlled 70% of the territory,” he said.

At the same time, he warned that Hamas is continuing a gradual process of rebuilding and strengthening. According to him, the smuggling network is not operating on the scale it once did, but the organization still retains significant ability to control everyday life in the Strip.

“As for the strengthening of the terrorist organization, that’s true. It is growing stronger little by little. The smuggling isn’t what it used to be, but little by little it is coming back. It controls the economy, what enters the Strip, the markets, and taxation. It still has the ability to exert control. In terms of weapons, it still has the weapons it has kept,” he said.

Rambam staff allegations tied to Likud primaries

Toward the end, Maswadeh also addressed allegations raised against members of the medical staff at Rambam Health Care Campus. In his view, the public attention surrounding the issue is largely connected to internal political struggles within Likud.

“We’re talking about this story for one reason only: there are Likud primaries. This time it is particularly blatant, and it is one of the most dangerous things you can do, especially when it comes from the defense minister. If there was any harm to IDF soldiers, they should investigate it. And if it happened, conclusions should be drawn.”

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Gulf states that normally receive their food and household goods by sea have spent five months flying them in, and the cost is turning up in what their residents pay. 

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow stretch of water at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Oman. Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passed through it, but it has been effectively closed to commercial shipping since March. Iranian officials said on Saturday that talks with Oman on a new shipping lane were nearly complete, while warning that a deal would not completely reopen the waterway. 

“Hormuz is the dominant economic channel in our estimates for the wider world economy, mainly Asian importers and Europe,” said Mohamed Shadi, head of energy and logistics at the Al Habtoor Research Center in Dubai. 

Shadi told The Media Line that the United States sells more energy abroad than it buys, so the price spike caused little lasting damage there. He added that oil prices were back near their previous levels by summer; the countries buying Gulf cargoes, and those selling them, have borne the losses.

“A lot of the necessities, and I’m talking food, that these Gulf nations require – Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia – comes in by boat,” said Shon Hiatt, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and director of its Zage Business of Energy Initiative. “So, what have they been doing? They’ve been flying in, whenever they can, their food products and their household goods. And that’s caused inflation in these states.” 

Media focus on oil has largely missed impact on basic goods

Hiatt told The Media Line that coverage of the crisis has followed the oil and largely missed this dimension. “We’ve … put a lot of the focusing…on the oil because it’s affecting us,” he said. “But there has been very little actual reporting on the impact of both household goods and food for these countries.” 

Shipping companies moved early. Maersk added an emergency surcharge on cargo going to or from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman in the first weeks of the crisis, and other carriers followed within 48 hours. Planes have helped move high-value cargo, but air freight only makes sense for small, expensive, urgent cargo such as medicine and electronics. It cannot move grain or building materials at the volumes a country needs. 

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said last week that 15 of its ships had been hit by missiles and drones since the war began, three of them in a single week, killing one crew member and injuring 20. A 16th was hit Saturday. Qatar lost about 17% of its capacity to export natural gas when Iranian missiles struck the Ras Laffan plant in March, and two cargoes loaded there have been attacked at sea since July. 

Cargo that could reroute did. Ship calls at Sohar, a port 125 miles (200 km) north of Muscat and outside the strait, rose about 40% after the war began, and the amount of cargo it can handle rose 55%, according to Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.  

Forecasters have adjusted their expectations for how the situation will affect prices. Oxford Economics Middle East marked up its 2026 inflation forecasts for all six Gulf Cooperation Council countries – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman – with Bahrain up nearly a full point, to 2.1%. Scott Livermore, the firm’s chief Middle East economist, said the closure is holding imports from entering the region, and that moving goods the long way, by truck or by plane, costs more. 

Those increases start from a low base. Inflation ran between 1.5% and 2.5% in Saudi Arabia from 2023 through 2025, between 1.6% and 1.7% in the UAE, and between 0.6% and 3.1% in Qatar. Justin Alexander, director of Khalij Economics, has said the effect will arrive slowly and hit each country differently, depending on the extent of government subsidies and each country’s dependence on the strait. Falling rents will offset some of it. 

Food is also affected by disruption to the Gulf’s energy exports. A March study by Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy traced the damage through two steps: Gulf gas is the raw material for fertilizer and chemicals, and those go into growing food. Cut the gas and the price of food rises well beyond the region. The study left Saudi Arabia and Oman out of its worst case for one reason. Both have ports outside the strait. 

Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain do not have comparable ports outside the Strait, and cannot send their exports around Hormuz by pipeline. 

“This is a big worry for an emirate like Dubai, which doesn’t have very many oil and natural gas resources but is heavily reliant upon expats living there, spending their money and engaging in commerce,” Hiatt said. 

Yemen’s Houthis claimed a drone strike Sunday on Aramco’s refinery at Jazan on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, a plant that processes 400,000 barrels a day. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said firefighters put out a blaze there with no injuries and gave no cause. Houthi missiles and drones had already shut the plant down in late July. Reports after the June ceasefire also described an attack on the pipeline that carries Saudi crude west to Yanbu on the Red Sea, one of the few routes that avoid the Strait. 

Cauvery Ganapathy, a fellow for climate and energy at ORF Middle East in Dubai, said the closure has made it harder to build a planned trade route from India through the Gulf to Europe, because the war has shown how easily such a route can be attacked. It has also made the argument for building it. 

“It is precisely to bypass chokepoints like Hormuz that multimodal projects with route optionality, such as IMEC, must be considered,” she told The Media Line, referring to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, a mix of ports, rail and roads meant to give cargo more than one way to travel. “The closure of the strait has argued the case for IMEC much better than any project proposal could have.” 

Spending that once looked too expensive now looks reasonable, she said, because governments have seen what having only one route costs them. She pointed to Kuwait trying to connect its oil to Saudi and Emirati pipelines, and to more goods moving overland through Syria and Iraq. 

“IMEC may not look the way it was planned,” Ganapathy said. “But in its final format it will be based on the principle of diversification, the need for which Hormuz has made amply clear.” 

Europe gains from this, she said, because shipping between the Gulf and Asia has become expensive and Asian buyers are looking elsewhere. Japan has signed for Canadian oil and gas. 

Ganapathy named Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq as the hardest hit because they have the fewest routes around the strait and economies that depend almost entirely on energy exports. She also noted what the Gulf states cannot do for themselves: their coastlines are long, but none has a navy capable of helping the United States force the Strait open. 

Mostafa Ahmed, head of political and security studies at the Al Habtoor Research Center, said Washington will go on insisting the Strait belongs to everyone while Iran runs it in practice. 

“While Washington will undoubtedly maintain its de jure position that the strait remains an international waterway, the de facto operational reality will tell a different story,” he said, using the legal terms for what is true on paper and what is true on the water. 

Permanent change for the worse if current negotiations hold

If the deal now being negotiated holds, he said, the change is permanent. 

“This transforms the Strait of Hormuz from a protected artery of global trade into a permanent, structural bargaining chip,” Ahmed said, “signaling a severe blow to American maritime deterrence and establishing a dangerous global precedent.” 

Gulf governments are already building for the next closure rather than this one. A railway linking all six Gulf countries, spanning 1,700 km (1,060 miles), is more than half complete and is scheduled to be fully operational by December 2030. A second line connecting the UAE to Oman’s port at Sohar, 238 km (148 miles), is 40% done. The accounting firm PwC argued in May that rail now matters as much as new pipelines, because everything the region ships and everything it eats needs a way in and out that does not cross the Strait. 

Whether ships return when a lane opens will be decided by the companies that own them and the insurers that cover them, not by governments alone. Asked what he would want if he sat on a tanker company’s board, Hiatt said he would watch the Chinese-flagged ships go first, then a non-Chinese one, then wait a week. 

“I’d want to see other ships go through first,” he said. “I don’t want to be the first one.” 

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A row over Israelis living abroad who plan to return to vote in the October 27 election spilled into the open over the weekend.

It began with a Friday column by Makor Rishon editor-in-chief Kalman Libeskind, who argued that Israelis who have permanently moved abroad should think twice before flying back to help choose the country’s next government.

His column came as Fly&Vote, an initiative of the AID Coalition, says some 31,000 Israelis abroad have already registered with the project. The group hopes eventually to help bring as many as 70,000 voters to Israel for Election Day.

Most Israelis cannot vote from abroad. Unless they fall into one of a small number of exceptions, they have to be physically in Israel to cast a ballot.

Fly&Vote says it helps Israelis overseas check their eligibility and arrange travel. It says it does not ask participants which party they support.

Bringing voters back an ‘immoral project,’ says Kan Radio host

Libeskind, who also hosts a daily radio show on Kan Radio, wrote under the headline, “Yordim who intend to come to Israel to vote in the elections are brazen people.”

The word yordim, literally “those who descend,” is commonly used for Israelis who leave the country and settle abroad.

Libeskind called the effort to bring such voters back an “immoral project.”

“Whoever doesn’t live here shouldn’t decide how we live here,” he wrote.

His argument was straightforward: people who have built permanent lives elsewhere will not live with the day-to-day consequences of the government they help elect, including its decisions on security, the economy and military service.

He made a point of excluding Israelis who are abroad temporarily for work, studies or similar reasons. He also said his criticism was about principle, rather than law, and would apply whether the returning voters were expected to support the Right or the Left.

Opposition MKs push back

The reaction came quickly.

Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak accused Libeskind of applying a double standard and pointed to previous elections in which Haredi Israelis living abroad were encouraged to return to Israel to vote.

“What suddenly changed?” Beliak asked.

He argued that there had been far less outrage when overseas voters were thought likely to support Haredi or right-wing parties.

Beliak also claimed that tens of thousands of Haredim had returned from the United States in earlier elections. That figure has not been independently verified.

Democrats MK Naama Lazimi focused on another group: Israelis living abroad who returned after October 7 to serve in the reserves.

“For him, it’s okay that they die for the country, but absolutely not that they vote here,” Lazimi wrote.

Her response went to the heart of the criticism of Libeskind’s column. Many Israelis who live abroad still serve in the IDF, have close family in Israel, pay taxes here, own homes here or remain deeply involved in Israeli life.

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv also criticized Libeskind, accusing him of hypocrisy and rejecting the idea that one commentator should decide who has earned the moral right to vote.

Eyal Naveh, a founder of Brothers and Sisters in Arms, pointed to the role Israelis abroad played in the weeks after October 7, including raising money, sending equipment and returning to serve.

A fight inside Kan

The argument also became personal inside Kan.

Kan Europe correspondent Dov Gil-Har challenged Libeskind publicly, noting that Kan had sent him abroad and that his daughter serves in the IDF.

Gil-Har wrote that he felt he had to return to Israel and vote, and asked Libeskind whether he believed someone in his situation should do so.

Libeskind answered that Gil-Har was exactly the kind of Israeli his column had excluded.

“My dear Dovi, it is recommended to first read the column and only then respond to it,” he wrote, repeating that he was talking about Israelis who had moved abroad permanently.

Journalist Yair Kraus later came to Libeskind’s defense, saying critics had ignored that distinction.

Why the numbers matter

The argument has caught fire partly because the numbers are large enough to matter.

Fly&Vote grew out of networks formed during the 2023 protests against the government’s judicial overhaul. The AID Coalition says the project is nonpartisan and does not collect information about how participants intend to vote.

Its goal of bringing 70,000 Israelis back for Election Day has drawn attention in a race where relatively small shifts in turnout could influence the final distribution of Knesset seats.

That is why Libeskind’s Friday column quickly became something larger.

For his supporters, the issue is simple: people who permanently leave Israel should have less say over choices whose consequences will be carried mainly by those who still live here.

His critics say citizenship does not disappear at Ben-Gurion Airport, and neither do military service, family ties or a sense of responsibility for the country.

With thousands of Israelis abroad now making plans to return for the October 27 vote, the argument is unlikely to end with one column.

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Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended until 1500 GMT on Monday after volcanic ash from a fresh eruption of Mount Etna drifted into airspace around the airport, operator SAC said.

Etna, which towers over Sicily’s east coast, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and frequently disrupts air traffic at Catania, the island’s main airport and Italy‘s fifth busiest by passenger traffic.

“As the situation is significantly affecting operations, passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport,” SAC said in a statement on Monday.

The situation is being constantly monitored, and further updates will be provided depending on the evolution of volcanic activity and weather conditions, it added.

Latest eruptive phase continuing from vents at 2,750 meter altitudes 

The latest eruptive phase on Europe’s highest volcano was continuing from vents at altitudes of 2,750 meters (9,022 ft) and 2,360 meters, feeding several lava flows and creating extensive lava fields, Italy‘s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said.

INGV’s Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) remained at the highest alert level, red, indicating ongoing hazards for aircraft from ash emissions.

This post was originally published on here. 

US Senator Bernie Sanders called for the Democratic Party to ban the involvement of super PACs in primary elections in a letter to Democratic leadership on Sunday.

The letter, shared with Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan and released on the senator’s X/Twitter account, called the use of super PACs in political fundraising a form of “corruption.”

It is insane that the Democrats allow super PACs like AIPAC to spend millions in their primaries — only for those same special interests to help elect Republicans in the general election.

My message to Democratic leaders: Ban super PACs from Democratic primaries NOW. pic.twitter.com/OvDQFgENDW

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 9, 2026

Super PACs, which have been highly controversial in US politics since their creation following two 2010 Supreme Court rulings, are a type of political action committee that enable the fundraising of unlimited sums of money from individuals and organizations for campaign advertising.

They support either individuals, issues, or industries but are not permitted to coordinate with candidates or their teams. 

According to CBS News, Senator Sanders noted in his letter that super PACs have already spent over $517 million during the 2026 midterm election cycle.

Calls for a new constitutional amendment, repeal of Supreme Court ruling

According to CBS News, the letter, addressed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, called on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to repeal the 2010 Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United, which struck down limits on independent political spending, ostensibly creating super PACs in the process.

Sanders believes that even candidates who support super PAC reforms will inevitably continue accepting money from super PACs for use in elections so long as there is benefit to be gained from the arrangement.

“Look, in the world that we live in, until we get rid of Citizens United and get rid of super PACs and move to public funding of elections, that is the reality,” said the Vermont Senator. “You can’t allow Democratic candidates to be outspent 50 to 1. But it is a corrupt campaign finance system, and Democrats can take charge of what takes place within their own primaries right now. General election can’t, but within primaries, Democrats can get super PACs out. That’s what they should do.”

The letter suggests that the Democratic Party take proactive measures to ban the participation of super PACs in primary elections, a move that would not require legislative action.

“I urge you to take action and make clear that the Democratic Party will no longer maintain this corrupt system,” Sanders wrote.

“While there are ideological differences of opinion within the big tent of the party, I would hope that we can all agree that Republican special interests should not play a role in determining the outcome of Democratic primaries. The time to act is now.” 

AIPAC and party loyalty

In the letter, Sanders made mention of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which backed Haley Stevens in Michigan during her recent Democratic primary loss against Abdul El-Sayed.

Noting the organization’s bipartisan nature, Sanders, who has actively campaigned on behalf of El-Sayed, said that AIPAC is expected to back the Republican nominee, Mike Rogers, in the Senate election. 

“What is particularly obscene is not only the outrageous amount of money coming into Democratic primaries from billionaire-funded super PACs, but the reality that these special interests have no particular desire to see Democrats win,” wrote Sanders.

“It is absurd that they spend tens of millions of dollars to try to determine who the Democratic nominee is and, if they fail, then proceed to support the Republican candidate in the general election.

“That is not democracy. That is not what Democratic voters want.”

He wrote that “AIPAC is not the only super PAC or outside organization playing this role. Corporate super PACs – including crypto, AI and online betting special interests – have already… [shattered] the record set in 2024.”

Minnesota: Will we continue to have a political system dominated by crypto, AIPAC, Big Tech and their billionaire-funded super PACs?

Or will we elect grassroots leaders like Peggy Flanagan who will stand with working families?

The choice is clear Tuesday: PLEASE SUPPORT PEGGY… pic.twitter.com/aUckjL1kzl

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 9, 2026

In an appearance on Face the Nation, Sanders said, “It doesn’t matter that you’re a Democrat or a Republican… They [super PACs] will take over the primaries and try to get their point of view through, get their special interests accomplished, regardless of which party. So to me, it is insane that the Democrats would allow somebody to come in, an entity to come in, that will then, if they lose, go into the other party.”

Sanders concludes his letter by saying, “While there are ideological differences of opinion within the big tent of the party, I would hope that we can all agree that Republican special interests should not play a role in determining the outcome of Democratic primaries. The time to act is now.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Ofek Adanek was revealed to be the well-known singer who was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of violently assaulting his partner, with the singer confirming the rumors himself through an Instagram post on Monday.

He was released from custody yesterday under restrictive conditions, and he has been prohibited from contacting his partner, social media star Hadas Masuri, as well as the other people involved in the incident, for 40 days.

Adanek, 24, first broke onto the scene in 2017 with his song “Boi Buba” (“Come on, Baby”). A year later, when he was only 16, he participated in the sixth season of The Next Star for Eurovision, where he got into an argument with judge Assaf Amdorsky.

Following that argument, he did not advance past the audition stage of the show. In recent years, he has become very well known on social media among young people and teenagers, and his music has also made it onto radio station playlists, including the hit “Eich Shehi Rokedet” (“The Way She Dances”), which he released together with Eden Hason and Agam Buhbut.

Adanek and Masuri began dating a little over a year ago. About four months ago, they moved in together.

Representatives for the singer issued their first response to the affair yesterday.

“We thank you for all the support and immense love at this time. This was a private argument between two partners. We categorically deny all claims and fabrications regarding assault or violence. We trust the court, which decided to release him immediately, and expect the media and the public to respect its decision.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by אופק אדנק | OFEK ADANEK (@ofek_adanek)

Masuri ‘shattered’ mentally, taking time for herself

Earlier, Masuri also shared a statement on her social media.

“I went through a very turbulent night. Mentally, I am simply shattered,” she wrote in an Instagram story. “Despite all the horrible messages I’m receiving, I want to say to those who know me and know that I am okay!!!! I would never be capable of something like that… I love you from the bottom of my heart, and a huge thank you for all the concern and messages.”

She rejected rumors that she had run over Adanek.

“Let’s make one thing clear – I did not run anyone over. The accusation is completely baseless. The story was so simple that it’s crazy that it reached these proportions,” she claimed.

“Thank God, the police have all the details, and everything is in their hands, and I trust them to do their job properly. Nobody here knows the story or what happened, so don’t jump to conclusions. I never wanted this to end like this or come out in this way. I’m taking some time for myself,” she added.

Singer alleged to have threatened to throw partner’s belongings out the window

According to the police account, everything began the previous evening at around 7:00 p.m. The singer’s partner came to his home to tell him that she wanted to break up with him. The singer was asleep at the time, and when he woke up, a confrontation began between the two. According to the police, he demanded that she not leave until she took her belongings, and when she said she was unable to take them at that moment, he threatened to throw them out of the window.

The partner went downstairs to the car with her friend, and the singer followed her. The confrontation continued in the parking lot. A police representative told the court that the singer asked her to give him the parking remote and told her that she should take her belongings out, otherwise he “didn’t know what he would do to her.”

When she attempted to leave the area, according to the police, the singer stood in front of the vehicle. His partner began driving, and during the incident, his leg was injured. At that point, the singer smashed the window of her car. When police arrived at the parking lot following a report from a third party to the emergency hotline, they found him there, distressed, with an injured and bleeding hand.

During cross-examination, it emerged that there was actually no dispute over some of the key facts. The singer’s lawyer, attorney Nes Ben-Natan, asked the police representative whether his client admitted to breaking the window and had provided an explanation for doing so. The police representative answered yes. He also confirmed that the window was broken after the singer’s leg had been injured by the vehicle. It further emerged that part of the incident, beginning with the breaking of the glass, was captured on video.

This post was originally published on here. 

Several children and teenagers were killed on Sunday across the country in a series of disconnected tragic accidents.

A 5-year-old boy died in the afternoon after allegedly being forgotten for about two hours in the family car in Lod.

The boy was found unconscious in the vehicle and showing signs of heatstroke. Magen David Adom (MDA) teams performed advanced resuscitation efforts and evacuated him in critical condition to Shamir–Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, where doctors were forced to pronounce him dead.

According to the initial details being investigated, the family was returning home, and the boy fell asleep during the drive. The family members are suspected of getting out of the vehicle while the boy remained inside. About two hours later, the father noticed that his son was not at home, returned to the car, found him unconscious, and called MDA.

Later in the afternoon, the death was pronounced of Elhanan Karni, a 12-year-old boy from Modi’in Illit who was found today in the Jordan River. The boy’s whereabouts became unknown while he was aboard a watercraft on the Jordan River, near Yesod HaMa’ala, during a family vacation.

Following the report, police and rescue forces were called to the scene and launched extensive searches to locate him. The search involved a helicopter from the aerial unit, volunteers from the rescue unit, and fire and rescue personnel.

After he was located by the Golan Rescue Unit, MDA medics and paramedics determined that the boy had no signs of life and were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.

Katzrin teenager killed after falling during Keshet Cave rappelling

A few hours later, Yehonatan Efraim Klimian, a 16-year-old from Katzrin, died after falling from a height of approximately 30–40 meters while rappelling at Keshet Cave in the western Galilee.

Paramedics from MDA’s intensive-care unit reached the teenager at the site and provided medical treatment and advanced, life-saving resuscitation efforts.

Meanwhile, the unit commander and rescue teams managed the operation at the site. Following an assessment of the situation, it was decided to release an airborne team from Unit 669 and continue the treatment and rescue efforts from the ground. After prolonged resuscitation efforts at the scene, the teenager was pronounced dead.

This post was originally published on here. 

A settler suspected of attacks against Palestinians, Tal Yinon Dardik, will be released from house arrest but ordered not to approach the West Bank, IDF Central Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth decided on Monday.

Dardik is suspected of involvement in attacks against Palestinians and other nationalist-motivated offenses, including a suspected attack in March.

District Court rules house arrest order justified

The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday rejected Bluth’s appeal over an administrative restriction order imposed on Dardik, while leaving intact the finding that Dardik poses a security risk and should remain under full house arrest.

Judge Avraham Dan Rubin upheld an earlier military appeals committee decision that the order against Dardik was justified, but that he could not be required to serve the house arrest specifically at his mother-in-law’s home in the West Bank settlement of Adei Ad without her consent.

“The starting point in the proceeding before me is that the respondent poses a danger which justifies full house arrest,” Rubin wrote, noting that Dardik had not challenged that finding as part of the appeal before the District Court.

Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.

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Officials from one country in the Middle East advised another regional state to pursue an agreement with Israel in order to “lull it to sleep” while preparing for a larger confrontation, according to a Monday report.

First reported by KAN News and cleared for publication by the IDF military censor, the report noted that officials from said country told their counterparts during talks in recent months that they should demonstrate tactical flexibility toward Israel and work toward reaching an agreement.

The proposal, however, was not intended as a path toward lasting reconciliation. Instead, the officials advised the other country to use the period created by an agreement to prepare for a future war against Israel, according to the sources cited in the report.

The officials reportedly suggested reaching an agreement with Israel with the intention of later violating it, while simultaneously preparing for a larger military confrontation.

The identities of either of the two countries involved have not been identified.

“Anyone who thought we could entrust the security of our sons to agreements and guarantees from those around us received a painful slap in the face this morning,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in response to the report.

“Behind all these agreements rooted in the failed conception lie lies and deception. These are agreements whose purpose is to lull us to sleep ahead of the next blow.”

Israel engaged in peace talks with Lebanon, Syria

Israel has concluded its latest round of peace talks with Lebanon in Rome, where the two countries have worked on a shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah.

The talks center around the implementation of the June deal that links Israel’s progressive withdrawal of troops from Lebanon to the disarmament of ​the terrorist organization.

Additionally, Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa recently told Al Jazeera that Syria and Israel are working to reach a security agreement with the aid of several countries, adding that he hoped for an agreement that could serve as a gateway to comprehensive peace without undermining Syria’s claim to the Golan Heights.

Hamas documents reveal false attempts at seeking stability

Those concerns carry particular weight following the intelligence failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. Internal Hamas documents published in June detailed a deliberate effort by the terrorist organization to convince Israel that it sought stability while secretly preparing for a surprise attack.

The documents described a multidimensional deception strategy designed to foster Israeli complacency. Hamas sought to project restraint and an interest in economic and diplomatic arrangements, including by remaining on the sidelines during some previous rounds of fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Additionally, the report did not address whether the country that allegedly received the proposal accepted the advice or acted on it. It also does not establish that any agreement currently under discussion with Israel is part of such a strategy.

This post was originally published on here. 

Taylor Farms said on Sunday it was recalling prepared food items containing jalapeños from retailers over concerns about potential salmonella contamination, a few weeks after removing lettuce from Mexico that US authorities linked to the cyclospora parasite.

The California-based supplier said it had voluntarily recalled the products, including salsas and guacamole, after being notified that Coast Citrus Distributors was recalling the fresh peppers.

Taylor said in a statement it was no longer sourcing from a farmer in Sinaloa, Mexico, that was identified as the potential source of the salmonella outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said earlier this week they were investigating the salmonella outbreak, which had sickened 345 people across 27 states and led to 36 hospitalizations.

The US investigation identified restaurants including Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG.N and Qdoba, a Mexican-style restaurant chain, as having received jalapeños imported by Coast Citrus Distributors. Both restaurants stopped using them, while Coast Citrus recalled the remaining product and notified customers.

Taylor said it is unaware of any reported illnesses linked to the voluntarily recalled items.

Salmonella infections can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps and can be particularly severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.

Taylor facing scrutiny over cyclosporiasis outbreak

Taylor was already facing heightened scrutiny over an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which causes severe diarrhea.

The US Food and Drug Administration said it had linked the cyclosporiasis to Taylor Farms products from Central Mexico, although the company said the FDA had not confirmed positive sample tests for cyclospora on its lettuce as of August 5.

Taylor Farms said it voluntarily suspended all iceberg lettuce sourcing and production from central Mexico and commissioned a safety review.

This post was originally published on here. 

Viktor Kruhlov, director of Ranok, one of Ukraine’s largest children’s publishers, struggled to hold back tears as he watched pile after pile of his books turn to ash.

“It’s a terrible sight to see books burning,” he said.

A Russian drone strike on Ranok’s warehouse in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on August 1 destroyed about 8 million books, the biggest blow yet to Ukraine’s publishing industry during the four-year-old war.

Publishers say more than 10 million books have been destroyed in attacks on warehouses in recent months, threatening an industry that initially benefited from rising demand for Ukrainian-language literature at the start of the conflict.

As firefighters battled the blaze, Kruhlov said the first explosion at the warehouse was followed moments later by a second at the same spot.

“This was a deliberately planned attack against the book warehouse,” said Kruhlov, whose company prints around one-third of the textbooks used in Ukrainian schools.

Russia’s defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The attacks on book warehouses and printing houses have resonated deeply in a country where many see the war as a fight for national survival and identity. Education Minister Andrii Butenko described them as an attempt to destroy the Ukrainian language, history and memory, “everything from which the identity of our children grows.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly questioned Ukraine’s separate statehood and argued that Russians and Ukrainians are one people.

Beyond their symbolic impact, the strikes on the publishing industry illustrate the mounting economic costs of a war increasingly defined by endurance, economists and business leaders say.

Losses continue to mount

“There are signs of a crisis in the market. We don’t yet know how the situation will develop,” said Yevhen Shyrynos, chief editor of publisher BookChef, which lost about 800,000 books – the majority of its inventory – in a Russian attack on Kyiv on July 2.

Another 100,000 books were lost when their backup warehouse was hit in a Russian attack this week. 

“It depends on Ukraine’s overall economic situation,” Shyrynos said.

Ukraine’s economy has proved resilient during the war, adapting to blackouts, labor shortages and repeated attacks on infrastructure while remaining afloat with support from Western allies. But annual economic output, at roughly $215 billion, remains about a fifth below its pre-invasion level.

In an effort to take the war back to Moscow, Ukraine has stepped up its own attacks on Russia’s economy, targeting oil facilities and logistics warehouses as well as weapons production facilities.

Economists and executives say the conflict is becoming a test of economic endurance.

“Essentially, it’s a struggle for survival – whoever can hold out the longest,” said Olga Pindyuk from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.

 War takes toll on economic growth

Most economists expect Ukraine’s growth to slow further in 2026 as Russia intensifies strikes on infrastructure and logistics.

A survey released on Wednesday by the Kyiv-based Centre for Economic Strategy cut the median growth forecast for next year to 1.1% from 2.4%. Ukraine’s economy grew by about 1.8% in 2025.

“I meet businesses every day, and there has not been such despair over losses … since 2022,” Danylo Hetmantsev, head of parliament’s tax committee, told Ukrainian television.

“The economy is currently experiencing significant losses.”

The defense sector is one of the few growth areas, due to the massive demand from the battlefield. About 60% of state spending this year is devoted to defense.

The central bank expects the defense industry to contribute about 1.4 percentage points to Ukraine‘s total economic growth of 1.8% this year – meaning the rest of the economy is essentially stagnant.

In particular, the vital agricultural sector – which accounts for the majority of Ukraine’s exports – is struggling. Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi has said Russian attacks on Black Sea port infrastructure could cost the farm sector between $1.5 billion and $3 billion this year.

Publishing sector faces long recovery

Publishing faces particular challenges because books can take six to 18 months to produce.

After an early wartime boom driven by demand for Ukrainian-language titles and bans on Russian imports, publishers now face rising costs, long replacement times and repeated losses from strikes.

BookChef has looked at reducing risks for its storage facilities and expanding its network of printers. But with printing costs up about 40% over the past two years, fewer Ukrainians can afford to buy books regularly.

Shyrynos expects the sector to stagnate.

“In fact, all our sectors will stagnate and decline until the war is over. The war is a vast, bottomless abyss that devours whatever funds you allocate to it.”

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A video of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was released by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency on Sunday. 

The video clip, which was under 15 seconds, appeared to show Khamenei speaking with a group of other men. No date or location was specified in the footage. 

Media outlets have noted that the clip bears a similarity to another video released earlier in the year. 

Khamenei has not been seen since the start of the war and the assassination of his father, former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

Iran’s Mehr News released a video claiming to show Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei “for the first time,” with no date or location specified. The right side of his face cannot be seen in the footage. pic.twitter.com/JdKWU2Svy6

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) August 8, 2026

Iranian media reports Pezeshkian, Khamenei meeting

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Khamenei around the start of the president’s third year in office in late July, state media said on Sunday, and a paramilitary leader promised footage of Khamenei in the future.

Pezeshkian has given differing accounts in recent weeks about his access to Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since he succeeded his father in the role in March.

On July 21, the president said interactions with the supreme leader were “increasing day by day”, but in early August he said communicating with Khamenei was “very difficult.”

The late July meeting covered military affairs and the economy, including securing resources, managing foreign exchange and energy use, as well as economic ties with foreign partners, according to state media.

In May, state media also reported that Pezeshkian had met Khamenei for several hours, in what was then the first publicly reported meeting between the two since Khamenei became supreme leader.

Khamenei was reportedly seriously injured in the February 28 strike that killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran. He had also generally kept a low public profile before becoming supreme leader.

Basij Organization deputy Qasem Qoraishi said on Sunday that footage and other documentation showing Khamenei among the public and out in the streets, as well as in meetings with armed forces commanders, would be released in the future.

Qoraishi said the footage would “once again bring disgrace upon the enemies and detractors of the Iranian people.” The comments appeared aimed at countering speculation about Khamenei’s health and lack of public appearances.

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Almost one-fifth of Israelis (18%) have considered emigrating from the country in the last two years, a new poll by KAN News revealed on Monday.

The poll also showed that one-third of the respondents knew someone who had left Israel in that time period.

Twelve percent of the respondents also stated that the outcome of the upcoming elections would affect their decision on whether or not to move out of Israel.

Opinions were split on whether the number of those leaving the country is concerning. Nearly half (46%) of respondents were not worried about the number of people emigrating from Israel, while 41% said that they were worried.

The responses were also divided sharply between supporters of the opposition and the coalition.

Among coalition voters, 70% said they were not worried about the number of people leaving the country, while 22% said they were concerned. Among opposition voters, by contrast, almost 60% expressed their worry about the amount of people leaving Israel.

Israel facing ‘tsunami’ of emigration, Gilad Kariv says

Last week, Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee Chair MK Gilad Kariv (Democrats) warned that Israel is facing a “tsunami” of emigration from the country, following the publication of a new study from Tel Aviv University showing that over 90,000 Israelis left the country in 2025 for three or more consecutive months. 

The study, based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, found that the number of Israelis who have left the country since 2023 for three or more months is significantly higher than it was a decade ago.

According to the study, a total of 268,930 Israelis left Israel in 2023 (86,509), 2024 (91,499), and 2025 (90,922). For comparison, the study showed that during the same period in 2013, 2014, and 2015, only 83,219 citizens left Israel.

Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.

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Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca on Friday that could alter the strategic balance of the Middle East.

Under the agreement, an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all three.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan went further, saying on Saturday the arrangement was technically equivalent to NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense commitment.

As Reuters and Jerusalem Post Staff reported Saturday, with Eli Leon contributing, Fidan said the alliance would establish a ministerial committee and a general secretariat based in Saudi Arabia. Egypt could eventually join.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreement was based on “the principle of collective deterrence” and would expand security, defense, and counterterrorism cooperation.

Then came a statement Israel cannot ignore.

Pakistani defense minister calls for ‘united military front’ against Israel

A day after the agreement was announced, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif called for “a united military front” against Israel, describing it as a “threat to the entire Muslim world.”

The Post’s Danielle Greyman-Kennard reported Sunday that Asif tied his call to the unresolved Palestinian issue and urged the Islamic world to stand together against Israel.

Dr. Yoel Guzansky, head of the Gulf Research Program at the Institute for National Security Studies, told Greyman-Kennard that the pact “doesn’t shut the door completely on normalization” between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

“Countries need stability. Saudis need stability,” Guzansky said, describing Riyadh’s approach succinctly: “This is hedging.”

Former national security council head Jacob Nagel offered a similar explanation in an interview with 103FM reported by the Post on Friday.

Nagel called the agreement “more of a diplomatic maneuver intended to put pressure on the American administration,” arguing that Riyadh is looking for alternatives as it feels increasingly exposed.

That vulnerability has been building for years. Saudi Arabia has watched Iran and its proxies demonstrate their ability to strike across the region.

The 2019 attack on the kingdom’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities exposed the limits of its defenses and raised questions in Riyadh about outside support in a crisis.

Israel should, therefore, take this Saudi hedge seriously.

Riyadh is searching for security, leverage, and strategic independence. The question for Israel and the United States is where that search eventually leads.

Turkey, under Erdogan, has adopted an increasingly hostile posture toward Israel. Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and its defense minister is already invoking Muslim military unity against the Jewish state.

Saudi Arabia should understand the problem this creates. A defense partnership with countries whose senior leaders portray Israel as a regional enemy will inevitably cast a shadow over normalization.

Israeli leaders cannot treat the alliance as merely technical if one of its members is already speaking about organizing the Muslim world militarily against Israel.

Saudi-Israel normalization offers greater opportunities than current defense pact

Nevertheless, Jerusalem should keep the door to Riyadh wide open.

Israel’s interest is to accelerate efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into an American-led regional security architecture that includes Israel and moderate Arab states.

The strategic promise of Saudi-Israel normalization extends beyond embassies, tourism, and trade.

It offers a durable regional alignment capable of confronting Iran, improving missile and air defense cooperation, protecting trade routes, and connecting Israel more deeply to the Arab world.

The Abraham Accords showed that relations with Israel can serve Arab states’ economic and strategic interests. Saudi Arabia would bring significant political and economic weight to that regional framework.

That strategic objective has become even more urgent.

Washington should pay close attention to what happened in Mecca. A long-time US partner has sought additional security insurance from Ankara and nuclear-armed Islamabad. That is a warning about declining confidence in American guarantees.

The US should ask why one of its most important Arab partners feels it needs an alternative security structure, and how to prevent that structure from developing an explicitly anti-Israel character.

Israel should speak clearly to Riyadh while continuing to pursue normalization.

Saudi Arabia can play a central role in building a more stable Middle East. Israel has every reason to bring it closer.

Riyadh must decide whether its new alliances will strengthen regional stability or give greater influence to governments seeking to turn Israel into the common enemy.

The Mecca agreement has made that choice much harder to avoid.

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Three of Israel’s representatives in the third round of European qualifying recorded mixed results over the weekend, with Hapoel Tel Aviv earning a valuable 2-0 win over Katowice, Beitar Jerusalem falling 2-1 to Austria Wien and Maccabi Tel Aviv suffering a 3-0 defeat to CSKA Sofia.

Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Katowice 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League third-round qualifying tie at Miskolc, Hungary, with goals from Stav Turiel and Roi Alkukin. Should Elyaniv Barda’s side advance past the Polish club, it will face Italian Serie A powerhouse Atalanta in the playoff round for a place in the league phase.

Hapoel made the better start and took the lead in the 18th minute when Omri Altman found Turiel at the top of the box, with the forward finishing past Gabriel Kobylak. Emmanuel Boateng then won possession and set up Alkukin, who chipped the ball over the Katowice goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

The Reds continued to look for a third goal, with Alkukin and Daniel Dappa both coming close, but Katowice held firm as Hapoel settled for a two-goal advantage heading into the return leg.

“Given how the game developed, the players also felt that we could have won by more,” Barda said. “Still, at the end of the day we played a very good game from a professional standpoint. The 2-0 result helps us advance to the next round, but it doesn’t take us there yet.”

Barda also praised the Hapoel supporters who traveled to Hungary.

“Kudos to all the fans who came out here to see us. It’s unbelievable, they gave us a real home feeling and it has an incredible impact on the players.”

Beitar Jerusalem lost to Austria Wien after early lead

Over in Romania, Beitar Jerusalem came up short against Austria Wien 2-1 in the first leg of their Conference League third-round qualifying tie.

Noam Muche gave Beitar an early lead, but Vasilije Markovic equalized just before halftime and Sanel Saljic scored the winner in the 70th minute.

The result leaves Almog Cohen’s side needing a comeback in next week’s return leg in Vienna. The winner of the tie will advance to the playoff round, where either Braga or Dinamo Minsk awaits.

Beitar created several early opportunities before Muche broke the deadlock in the 20th minute with a long-range effort.

However, a poor clearance by Gil Cohen fell to Markovic, who finished from inside the area to make it 1-1 before the break.

Austria Wien came close to taking the lead early in the second half, but a missed opportunity and an offside goal kept the score level. Omer Atzily also came close for Beitar before Saljic finally put the hosts ahead.

Austria continued to threaten, but Miguel Silva made several important saves to keep Beitar within reach. Tomer Yosefi created opportunities after coming on, while Timoti Muzie also came close late on as Beitar searched for an equalizer.

“It’s very disappointing. We came here to win the game,” Cohen said. “Whenever you lose, even though it’s only halftime in the tie and we still have another half to play in Vienna, you’re disappointed.

“I knew for certain the match would be played at a very high tempo, and the burden of proof was on us, not on them.

Against AEK Larnaca we wanted to play an aggressive, high-pressing game and against Austria Wien we knew they would play at a very high pace. The question was whether we would be able to match that tempo.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv took a significant loss in Georgia

In Batumi, Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered the toughest result of the three Israeli clubs, falling 3-0 to CSKA Sofia in the first leg of their Europa League third-round qualifying tie.

Sofia took the lead in the ninth minute when Maks Ebong scored from inside the box past Ofek Melika. Leandro Godoy doubled the advantage with a volley 20 minutes later, sending the hosts into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

Kenny Miller made several changes during the second half in an effort to change the momentum, but CSKA Sofia added a third through Joel Zwarts to complete the victory.

Maccabi will travel to Bulgaria next week needing a major turnaround to reach the playoff round, where OFI Crete awaits.

Should the yellow-and-blue fail to overturn the deficit, they would drop into the Conference League playoff round, where they would face either Lugano or Runavik.

“This tie is still far from over,” Miller said. “But the goal we conceded at the end certainly makes the challenge more difficult. Here were some good things throughout the game, but there were also a lot of bad things.

“Once again, we didn’t win our individual battles, which is the ‘dirty’ side of soccer, and we were too slow tracking back after giving the ball away cheaply. I felt we lost possession far too many times even when we weren’t under any pressure, like on the third goal, which came from a simple forward pass and a counterattack. We were far too open in those moments and that’s not something that characterized us at the start of the season.”

Israel’s fourth team in European qualifying, Hapoel Beersheba, will take a 1-0 lead into this week’s second leg against Red Star Belgrade 1-0, with a tough road test on Wednesday.

Should Beersheba advance to the playoff round, it will face the winner of the Sabah vs Aarhus matchup, with a victory sending the Southern Reds to the Champions League league phase and a loss dropping them to the league phase of the Europa League. 

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

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Yoav Horowitz, former director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office and current founding member of Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party, told Channel 12 on Friday about his experiences with the Netanyahu family and his decision to re-enter politics in recent years. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Horowitz as his chief of staff in May 2016, bringing him into government service from his former job as CEO of Avis Israel. The two men go back a number of years, with Horowitz having served in a senior position on Netanyahu’s 2006 campaign in the Likud primaries.

Horowitz announced his resignation from the post in the Netanyahu government in June 2019. He even went on to attend weekly anti-Netanyahu protests after the government announced its intention to reform the country’s judicial system, giving the coalition significant power over the High Court.

“I went because I see the attempt to destroy the judicial system as the root of all evil, which ultimately also led to October 7,” he said.

‘My children and yours deserve honest leadership’

Horowitz told Channel 12 that his decision to return to politics was heavily influenced by the October 7 Massacre and its aftermath. His three sons were all called to reserve duty when the war broke out, each serving on the front lines. 

“They were fighting in places with the highest level of friction,” he said. “Like thousands of other families, you wait for the knock on the door, and the worst scenarios run through your mind. The very worst.”

“My children and yours deserve honest leadership,” Horowitz added. “Leadership that takes responsibility, leadership that sets a personal example in everything, preferably modest leadership. Leadership that says, ‘Forward, charge,’ and people follow it.”

The former chief of staff also explained that the level of loyalty required of government employees by the Netanyahu family was, in his opinion, inappropriate. 

“The demand for personal loyalty was hanging over the place all the time, a kind of obsession,” he told Channel 12. At one point, he was told that a large number of people working under him would have to sign a written declaration of loyalty to the Netanyahu family. He confronted the prime minister about it, and was told: “Do what you were asked to do.”

“The family’s influence is significant,” Horowitz emphasized to Channel 12. “There is no separation. Everything is connected to everything: personal matters, financial matters, political matters and security matters.”

Herb Keinon contributed to this report.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Construction and Housing Minister Haim Katz, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a new program on Sunday to help IDF reservists find affordable housing, a joint statement announced.

The program, titled “From Reserve Duty to a Key,” is meant to expand housing benefits and provide approximately 20,000 housing solutions, including 16,000 apartments, in the years 2026 and 2027.

One feature of the program is increased priority in apartment discount lotteries. In the latest iteration of the lotteries, 25,354 reservists participated, of which 4,734 won. The percentage of reservist winners will increase, and the discount given will amount to more than NIS 500,000, the government said.

Katz praised the discount lottery system, saying that another 20,000 units would be added to the pool.

“Those who gave must also know how to receive,” he said, adding that “the state will give back to its reservists, because they are the main resource we have today.”

‘Heroic reservists’ deserve benefits, housing minister says

Reservists who wish to construct housing will also receive increased benefits, and will be exempted from payment for the value of the land.

Meant to “expand the supply of housing solutions for reservists,” Netanyahu praised the initiative as a historic move.

“Our heroic reservists give everything for the country, and they deserve everything,” he said.

“To date, the government has transferred, either through Government decisions or legislation, a massive sum of NIS 25 billion to the reservists and their families as well. And today we are bringing more news about massive support in housing.”

“There has never been anything like this. It is about time.”

Smotrich described the plan as only a part of a greater show of appreciation for the country’s soldiers.

“From the very first day of the war, we have been wrapping IDF fighters and commanders, in both regular and reserve service, in a huge umbrella of billions upon billions,” he said.

“Following the discounts and priority for reservists, we have made a significant decision together with the prime minister and the housing minister, according to which all reservists without housing who applied for the “Discount Apartment” lottery will receive an apartment. Dear reservists – you deserve this.”

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