All News (Page 81)

Several weeks have passed since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Turkish history contains “no genocide, no massacres, no oppression, and no colonialism,” but only “justice and compassion.”

The statement amounted not merely to a denial of the Armenian Genocide, but to a denial that centuries of conquest, slavery, ethnic violence, forced displacement, and imperial rule produced anything requiring apology or repentance.

What happened next was even more revealing than the statement itself: almost nothing.

Erdogan hosted world leaders at NATO’s summit in Ankara. Strategic discussions advanced. Conversations about military cooperation continued. The controversy, to the extent there was any, quickly faded from public view.

A major NATO leader had effectively declared his nation innocent of every crime commonly associated with the empire, and the world moved on with remarkable ease.

That response reveals a broader reality. Historical accountability is not applied evenly. Some countries become the subjects of endless scrutiny, investigations, resolutions, academic conferences, and activist campaigns. Others enjoy a degree of immunity tied less to their conduct than to the framework through which they are viewed.

In much of academia and activist culture, Western societies and those viewed as Western-aligned are often cast as the primary bearers of colonial and historical guilt, while non-Western societies are more frequently understood through the lens of victimhood, anti-imperialism, or post-colonial grievance.

Turkey’s long history of conquest, empire, demographic engineering, and ethnic violence sits within that framework. The result is not ignorance of the facts, but a reluctance to examine those facts through the same moral lens applied elsewhere.

But activist and academic culture is only part of the story. For decades, policymakers in Washington and Europe have operated on the assumption that Turkey is simply too important to alienate. 

Whether that assumption remains justified is increasingly debatable. What is beyond debate is the extent to which it has insulated Ankara from forms of scrutiny that similar behavior would attract from many other states.

The record Erdogan denies

If Erdogan’s claim is to be taken seriously, it must be measured against history rather than mythology.

He did not limit his assertion to the modern Turkish Republic. He claimed that throughout Turkey’s “thousands of years of glorious history,” there had been only “justice and compassion.”

For centuries, the Ottoman Empire operated the devshirme system, forcibly removing Christian boys from conquered Balkan populations and converting them into state servants and soldiers. Historians have described the practice as a form of institutionalized slavery. 

Ottoman vassal states along the Barbary Coast enslaved vast numbers of Europeans. The Hamidian massacres of the 1890s killed as many as 300,000 Armenians decades before 1915. None of this required overseas colonies. It required an empire.

Then came the period Erdogan almost certainly hoped to obscure.

Between 1914 and the mid-1920s, the Christian population of Anatolia collapsed from roughly one-quarter of the population to well under 1%. The Armenian Genocide, the Assyrian Sayfo, the destruction of Pontic Greek communities, and subsequent forced population transfers (ethnic cleansing) transformed one of the world’s most diverse regions into one of its most homogeneous.

Turkey is approximately 99.8% Muslim today. Whatever one wishes to call what happened to that missing quarter of Anatolia’s population, “justice and compassion” is certainly not it.

A half-century later came Cyprus.

Turkey’s 1974 invasion displaced between 160,000 and 180,000 Greek Cypriots. What followed was not a temporary military presence but a lasting political and demographic transformation. Successive Turkish governments encouraged settlement from mainland Turkey into occupied Cyprus. 

Today, Northern Cyprus is recognized by exactly one country in the world: Turkey itself. More than five decades later, Turkish troops remain.

And, more recently, there is Afrin.

Turkey’s 2018 operation, ironically named Olive Branch, displaced more than 150,000 residents from what had been a predominantly Kurdish region of northwestern Syria. Human rights organizations documented allegations of demographic engineering as Kurdish residents were ethnically cleansed and replaced by populations resettled in territory under Turkish control.

Despite fitting many of the criteria commonly associated with settler-colonialism, population transfer, and ethnic displacement, Afrin never attracted the sustained academic, political, or activist scrutiny that comparable allegations elsewhere routinely generate.

The politics of selective accountability

None of these events are obscure. The Armenian Genocide is among the most extensively documented atrocities of the 20th century. Cyprus has been the subject of international diplomacy for decades. Afrin has been covered by journalists, human rights organizations, and international bodies. The issue is not a lack of information.

The issue is attention.

Concepts such as colonialism, indigenous rights, occupation, demographic engineering, and historical justice have become central moral languages of contemporary politics and academia. Yet their application often appears strikingly selective. A neighboring state sends its army across an international border into territory from which it faces no existential threat. 

Indigenous inhabitants are displaced. Demographic changes follow under the authority of the occupying power. Such circumstances routinely generate international outrage, academic inquiry, NGO campaigns, and diplomatic pressure.

In Turkey’s case, they rarely do.

That discrepancy cannot be dismissed as a matter of missing facts or insufficient documentation. The record is extensive and readily available. What is often absent is the willingness to apply the same standards, language, and moral urgency that have become commonplace in other conflicts.

The actual scandal

Political leaders distort history all the time. Historical denial is hardly unique to Turkey. The real scandal is not that Erdogan told an outrageous lie. It is that so few influential voices seemed to care.

The conventional wisdom in Washington and many European capitals has long held that Turkey is too important to confront directly. Policymakers cite geography, NATO, migration routes, and regional influence. The result has been a persistent tendency to grant Ankara a degree of accommodation unavailable to most allies.

Yet after years of democratic backsliding, growing Islamization of public life, hostility toward fellow NATO members, military interventions across the region, and increasingly anti-Western rhetoric, one must ask whether the West has confused leverage with dependence.

Turkey has become remarkably adept at presenting itself as indispensable while using that perceived status to extract concessions from allies. Whether that reputation ultimately proves justified or merely geopolitical fool’s gold is a question for future historians. What is already clear is that the perception itself has functioned as a powerful shield against accountability.

Erdogan’s declaration that Turkish history contains no genocide, no massacres, no oppression, and no colonialism should have been treated as a diplomatic disgrace. Instead, it was met largely with a shrug. That reaction tells us something profoundly troubling.

The guardians of historical accountability appear less interested in universal principles than in selecting appropriate defendants.

Turkey’s denials, occupations, demographic interventions, and crimes against humanity are neither secret nor newly discovered. The evidence has existed for years, often decades. What has been missing is not proof but prosecutorial interest.

Erdogan’s statement was not the scandal. The refusal to meaningfully challenge it was.

The lie exposed the bankruptcy of a strongman’s version of Turkish history. The silence exposed the double standards that allowed it to flourish.

The writer is an attorney, former IDF soldier, and former NYPD officer. He writes widely on Israel, Zionism, antisemitism, and Jewish history. He serves on the board of Herut North America.

This post was originally published on here. 

I will never forget sitting with Mother Teresa. During our conversation, she shared a truth that has stayed with me for decades. She said, “You cannot love Jesus without loving the Jewish people, because Jesus was Jewish.”

Those words were not political. They were biblical. They reflected an understanding that Christianity did not replace Judaism. Rather, Christianity was born from God’s covenant relationship with the Jewish people. Jesus was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, worshiped in the Temple, celebrated the biblical feasts, and fulfilled the promises God gave through the prophets of Israel.

That simple conversation captures the heart of Christian Zionism.

The foundation of Christian Zionism

Christian Zionists believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God. We believe that the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob remains in effect because God is faithful to every promise He has ever made.

The modern State of Israel exists in the very land that Scripture repeatedly identifies as the inheritance of the Jewish people. Our support for Israel is not based on changing political winds or election cycles. It is rooted in God’s eternal Word. That conviction also shapes how Christians understand the land itself.

This is why so many Christians reject the term “West Bank.” The Bible never calls this region the “West Bank.” Scripture calls it Judea and Samaria. These names are not political inventions; they are the biblical names of the land where the story of redemption unfolded.

Why Judea and Samaria matter

Nearly 80% of the major events recorded in the Bible took place in Judea and Samaria. Abraham walked these hills. Joshua led Israel into this land. Samuel judged here. David ruled from here. Elijah and Elisha ministered here. The prophets proclaimed God’s Word throughout these mountains, and Jesus Himself traveled, taught, healed, and preached throughout Judea. The history of both Israel and the Church is inseparable from this land.

When Jesus gave His final commission before ascending into heaven, His words reinforced its importance. In Acts 1:8 he declared, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Notice where the Great Commission begins: Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. The Gospel spread to the nations from the very places that many today insist Christians should treat as merely disputed real estate. Jesus did not separate His mission from the land of the Bible, and neither should His followers. That is why, when Christians refer to Judea and Samaria as Bible land, they are acknowledging that this region is the setting for much of God’s redemptive story. The biblical names remind us that Scripture is rooted in real places, real people, and God’s enduring covenant with Israel.

This is a biblical conviction, not a political one

Critics often portray Christian Zionists as people motivated primarily by politics, but that misses the point entirely. Christian Zionism is first and foremost a theological conviction. It is the belief that God keeps His covenants and that His promises are trustworthy.

The names Judea and Samaria are not modern political slogans. They are biblical names found throughout Scripture. To erase those names is to erase much of the geography of God’s redemptive story.

If God can abandon His promises to Israel, then every believer has reason to question whether He will keep His promises to us.

The reality behind the conflict

A biblical worldview changes more than our understanding of history. It changes how we interpret the events unfolding in Israel today.

The violence directed against Israel also deserves to be understood honestly. Jews are not murdered simply because they happen to live in a particular neighborhood or beyond a particular line on a map. They are targeted because they are Jews.

The horrific attacks of October 7 once again demonstrated that the goal of Hamas was not merely territorial change but the destruction of Jewish lives. For generations, terrorists have attacked Israeli civilians in homes, buses, restaurants, schools, synagogues, and public streets because they reject the very existence of a Jewish homeland.

Recognizing that reality is essential to understanding why so many Christians stand firmly with Israel. Christian Zionists believe Israel has both the right and the obligation to defend its citizens against those who seek its destruction.

A growing theological divide

Another difficult reality is the growing theological divide between Christian Zionists and many prominent Palestinian Christian leaders.

The majority of Palestinian Christian organizations reject the belief that God’s covenant promises concerning the land continue to apply to the Jewish people today. They argue that the promises should instead be understood spiritually or through the Church.

Christian Zionists respectfully but firmly disagree because we believe God’s covenants are irrevocable and that Scripture should be interpreted according to its plain meaning.

This disagreement is ultimately not about politics. It is about whether God means what He says. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God repeatedly affirms His covenant with Israel. The Apostle Paul reminds believers in Romans that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God’s faithfulness is measured by His willingness to keep every promise He has made, even when the world questions those promises.

Bible land

Mother Teresa understood something that much of the modern world has forgotten. Jesus cannot be separated from His Jewish identity or from the people through whom God brought His plan of redemption into the world. To love Jesus is to honor the story God wrote through Israel.

That is why Christian Zionists will continue to stand with Israel and continue to call Judea and Samaria by their biblical names. To us, this is not simply the West Bank. It is Bible land, the land where God revealed Himself, where the prophets proclaimed His truth, where Jesus walked, and where the Gospel first went forth to the nations.

The writer has written 120 books, is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He is the founder of the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, the Ten Boom Museum in Holland, and Churches United with Israel, one of the largest Christian Zionist networks in America.

This post was originally published on here. 

IDF Col. (res.) Ofer Winter was verbally confronted by haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters on Tuesday evening after speaking at a Jerusalem conference for young haredi men interested in specialized military enlistment programs.

The protesters gathered outside the building after they were denied entry. Police were called to the scene.

Winter left the building accompanied by a police officer after the lecture, which lasted about an hour. Protesters then gathered around him and shouted insults, including “traitor to the Jewish people,” “despicable,” and “you have no part in Judaism.”

Some of the protesters also threatened to throw a garbage can at him and began following him.

Eyewitnesses: Winter calm throughout incident

Winter responded to some of the remarks and appeared calm throughout the incident, according to eyewitnesses.

The confrontation comes amid Winter’s growing public profile. In recent weeks, he has frequently appeared at conferences and public events as he considers entering politics ahead of the upcoming elections.

This post was originally published on here. 

Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party, is under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over whether he should have prefaced his remarks in a House of Commons debate on pro-Israel influence by noting that he had visited the country as a guest of a pro-Israel group.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards opened the inquiry on July 28, although it was not made public until Monday. The inquiry concerns whether Tice should have made an oral declaration that he had taken a September 2025 trip to Israel sponsored by Reform Friends of Israel before speaking in the June 22 debate. 

The trip had already been recorded in Parliament’s Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

Tice has rejected the complaint, arguing that it stems from his opposition to what he described as antisemitic claims about Israeli influence in British politics. “I am being investigated for standing against antisemitism. You could not make it up,” he wrote Monday on X/Twitter.

Tice also alleged in the post, without identifying the complainant, that the complaint had been submitted by an “antisemitic anti-Israel lobby group.” The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards does not disclose the identity of complainants while investigations are underway, and no organization has publicly claimed responsibility for filing the complaint.

The September 2025 Israel trip included flights, accommodation and hospitality organized by Reform Friends of Israel, a group that works with election candidates and other Reform UK party officials to promote UK-Israel relations. The parliamentary commissioner is examining whether parliamentary rules required Tice to verbally mention that fact before participating in the June 22 debate.

The debate took place following a public petition that garnered over 100,000 signatures, the threshold required for parliamentary consideration, calling for an inquiry into what organizers described as “pro-Israel influence.” 

Tice rejects petition’s premise as ‘antisemitic’

During the debate, Tice rejected the petition’s premise, calling it “antisemitic in its very motivation and at its core.” He also said that allegations of undue Jewish or Israeli influence echoed “the oldest antisemitic trope in the book” and defended the role of parliamentary friendship groups such as Conservative Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Israel.

“We should celebrate the extraordinary genius and impact of Israeli scientists, entrepreneurs and people specializing in medical research and AI applications, the work they do and the innovation they create, whether they are in the State of Israel or living somewhere else, such as London,” Tice said during the debate.

Tice welcomes former UK prime minister’s efforts against antisemitism within party

He also welcomed then-UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s efforts to tackle antisemitism within the Labour Party and argued that Parliament should reject claims that Jewish organizations or supporters of Israel exercise improper influence over British politics.

In his X post, Tice also claimed that the same group behind the complaint had not requested an investigation into independent MP Ayoub Khan over what he alleged was Khan’s failure to declare a donation from a pro-Palestinian organization. Tice did not identify either the complainant or the organization, and Khan has not responded to the accusation.

This post was originally published on here. 

Anti-Jewish hate crimes have climbed 8.5% in New York City this year, even as shootings and murders across the city fell to historic lows, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

NYPD officials on Monday announced they have recorded 205 confirmed hate crimes against Jews between January and July 2026, up from 189 during the same period last year. Jews were targeted in more than half of all hate crimes, or 57%, similar to the proportion in 2025. Jews make up 10% of the city’s population.  

Bias-motivated crimes overall rose to 360 incidents this year. The NYPD did not respond by press time to a request for a breakdown of hate crimes into violent and non-violent categories.

Antisemitic incidents reached a record high in 2024 during the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and Israel’s retaliation in Gaza. The figures fell slightly in 2025 but have remained elevated over the past five years.

In July, the total confirmed hate crimes and those aimed at Jews both fell below 2026 monthly averages.

Still, a string of high-profile attacks last month has Jews on alert. They include the double stabbing of a Jewish man and an Asian man in Manhattan, the assault of a Jewish man by an alleged assailant who shouted antisemitic slurs in Brooklyn, and the vandalism of two synagogues in Queens with motor oil and feces. 

Some Israeli officials and pro-Israel Jewish leaders have accused Mayor Zohran Mamdani of fueling antisemitic incidents through his staunch criticism of Israel, which last month included calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and urging the US government to arrest him for war crimes in Gaza.

Ambassador Danon connects Mamdani statements to antisemitic stabbing attack

Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon drew a connection on Monday between Mamdani’s statements about Netanyahu and the stabbing of Moshe Grunhaus on the Upper West Side, which occurred hours later. 

“Since Zohran Mamdani took office as Mayor of New York City, there has been a troubling rise in hate crimes targeting Jews across the city,” Danon said on X/Twitter. “This is not just our opinion. The NYPD’s own statistics show a sharp increase in antisemitic hate crimes since January 2026.” 

Mamdani: ‘Unacceptable’ that Jews are largest hate crime target 

Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment on allegations that his rhetoric has contributed to antisemitism. But Mamdani said in a statement on Monday it was “unacceptable” that “while Jewish New Yorkers comprise a minority of our city’s population, they continue to comprise the majority of the victims of hate crimes.” He said his administration has boosted the Office of Hate Crime Prevention’s budget by more than 800%. 

“The work to uproot antisemitism out of this city is one that will continue until we see hate crimes come to an end in the city,” Mamdani said.

This post was originally published on here. 

The Knesset Finance Committee on Tuesday approved the transfer of approximately NIS 270 million to haredi (ultra-Orthodox) education institutions amid the Knesset’s recess ahead of the election.

The approval came after a lengthy and stormy debate in the committee, in which opposition lawmakers argued that the meeting should not take place during the recess and that the process for convening was not carried out properly.

The committee convened after Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud) approved the meeting despite the lack of the usual required agreement from the Knesset’s Coordination Committee.

The committee approved approximately NIS 1 billion in budget allocations for the Education Ministry, the Settlement and National Missions Ministry, and the Religious Services Ministry.

The funds allocated to the haredi education systems reportedly amounted to approximately NIS 270m.

Lawmakers respond to the decision to transfer millions to haredi education

The Degel Hatorah faction within the haredi United Torah Judaism Party stated that the Finance Committee had approved a series of budget transfers totaling approximately a quarter of a billion shekels for the haredi education system.

Degel Hatorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni welcomed the approval of the funds, stating that “when the world of Torah study and education faces significant difficulties, it is our duty to continue caring for Israel’s children and the haredi education system.”

Opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the transfer, with a key point of contention being the allocation of funds to haredi institutions that often do not teach mandatory core curriculum subjects, along with the haredi conscription issue amid the IDF’s severe manpower shortage.

Finance Committee member Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak stated after the transfers that the government had “sold out Israelis who work and serve to Gafni and [Shas Party leader Arye] Deri.”

“They simply took your money, your children’s money. hundreds of millions of shekels, and transferred it to draft dodgers,” he added.

Democrats MK Naama Lazimi also criticized the transfer of the funds.

“The draft-dodging government continues to loot the funds belonging to all of us,” she said.

Challenges to the budget transfers will be reviewed by High Court on Wednesday

Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein ordered petitioners challenging the series of Finance Committee budget transfers to report back to the High Court of Justice by 9 a.m. Wednesday on the decisions approved during the committee’s meeting.

The decision keeps the urgent petition filed by the Hiddush religious-freedom organization and Lazimi before the court, and means the transfers approved Tuesday will be placed before Stein within hours of the vote.

The court will instead receive an updated account of the committee’s decisions on Wednesday morning before determining whether further responses or interim judicial measures are required.

Hiddush and Lazimi filed the petition on Tuesday morning after Finance Committee chairman Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky did not cancel the meeting in response to a warning letter sent by the petitioners.

The petition initially challenged proposed transfers totaling more than NIS 360m., including approximately NIS 280m. that the petitioners said was intended for haredi and religious educational institutions. It asked the court to prevent the meeting from taking place or, alternatively, to block the transfer of any money approved during it.

The petitioners argue that convening the committee violated the Knesset’s rules for the election recess. According to the petition, the Finance Committee was permitted to hold only one meeting during the first two weeks of the recess, and had already used that authorization for a July 29 meeting that ended without approving the transfers.

They further argue that several of the budget requests placed on Tuesday’s agenda had not been discussed before the Knesset entered recess. They describe the allocations as an attempt by the outgoing coalition to direct public funds toward politically allied sectors during an election period.

The case comes against the background of an earlier legal dispute over a NIS 1.08b. education transfer approved by the Finance Committee on December 25, 2025.

During a High Court hearing in January, it emerged that approximately NIS 400m. had already been distributed before the committee voted. The court sharply criticized the practice and temporarily froze the remaining transfers.

The Knesset’s legal department later agreed that bringing budget transfers to the committee only after the money had been distributed was unlawful and undermined parliamentary oversight.

It nevertheless argued that employees who had already received salaries should not be required to repay them, and instead sought a forward-looking order preventing the practice from recurring.

The update due Wednesday morning will give Stein the precise results of Tuesday’s meeting and allow the court to determine whether the approved transfers require immediate intervention.

This post was originally published on here. 

In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed is campaigning to end unconditional US military aid to Israel as he faces Rep. Haley Stevens, backed by the Democratic establishment and pro-Israel groups. In Missouri, former Rep. Cori Bush is seeking a political comeback against Rep. Wesley Bell, who unseated her two years ago with significant support from AIPAC. The results could offer an early indication of whether criticism of Israel has evolved from a progressive cause into a broader electoral force within the Democratic Party.

Democratic voters in Michigan and Missouri head to the polls on Tuesday in two primary contests that, while local in nature, could have implications far beyond state borders. From an Israeli perspective, both races center on the same fundamental question: Has criticism of Israel, opposition to continued US military assistance, and alignment with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing become a political asset, or does the party’s traditional pro-Israel establishment still hold the upper hand?

The highest-profile contest is taking place in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens are competing for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate. Michigan remains a key battleground state, one that President Donald Trump narrowly carried in 2024. The Democratic nominee will face Republican Mike Rogers in November, making the race critical for Democrats’ hopes of regaining control of the Senate.

El-Sayed, a leading progressive endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has called for ending unconditional US military aid to Israel and has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. He has also linked US support for Israel to domestic economic concerns, arguing that taxpayer money should be directed toward healthcare, education, and infrastructure instead of financing the war in Gaza. In an interview with Reuters, he described Israel and Gaza as a “cost-of-living issue” for American voters.

From an Israeli perspective, an El-Sayed victory would carry significance well beyond Michigan. It would elevate to the national stage a Democratic Senate candidate openly challenging the traditional bipartisan consensus on military assistance to Israel while signaling to other Democratic politicians that a tougher stance toward Jerusalem can be politically successful in a major swing state, not only in heavily progressive districts. El-Sayed has also declined to explicitly recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

His opponent, Haley Stevens, represents a more moderate wing of the Democratic Party.

Backed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and major pro-Israel organizations, Stevens has benefited from an estimated more than $30 million in outside spending from groups affiliated with AIPAC, highlighting the strategic importance the pro-Israel camp places on the race.

Stevens has maintained that no outside organization dictates her positions and that she represents the interests of Michigan voters. At the same time, she has made clear that her support for Israel is not unconditional. During a July debate, she argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies had neither advanced peace nor strengthened security for Jewish communities in the United States and abroad.

For that reason, the Michigan race is not a straightforward contest between a “pro-Israel” and an “anti-Israel” candidate. Stevens supports the US-Israel strategic alliance while remaining willing to criticize the Israeli government. El-Sayed represents a broader ideological shift: challenging military assistance to Israel, questioning long-standing Democratic foreign policy assumptions, and arguing that support for Israel should no longer be treated as a default position within the party.

Polling underscores why the race has attracted so much attention. According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey, favorable views of Israel among Democrats declined from 59% in 2018 to just 22% in May 2026. Michigan is also home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the United States, many of whom have strongly opposed Israeli policy since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

A similar, though far more personal, contest is unfolding in Missouri. Former Representative Cori Bush, a member of the progressive “Squad,” is attempting a political comeback against Representative Wesley Bell, who defeated her in the 2024 Democratic primary.

Bush emerged as one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress following the October 7 Hamas massacre and the subsequent war in Gaza. During the 2024 campaign, AIPAC and allied organizations spent millions of dollars supporting Bell. This year, according to public estimates, pro-Israel groups have invested more than $3 million to prevent Bush’s return to Congress.

Bell, now the incumbent congressman, continues to enjoy strong support from AIPAC and is generally regarded as the more pro-Israel candidate. Given that the St. Louis-area district is heavily Democratic, Tuesday’s primary is widely expected to determine who will ultimately represent the district in Congress.

Bush believes the Democratic electorate has shifted since her defeat. She has reason for optimism: an AP-NORC survey found that 58% of Democrats now believe the United States is too supportive of Israel, up from 45% at the beginning of 2024. Progressive and socialist activists from across the country have traveled to Missouri to assist her campaign, making the race another test of the organizational strength of the Democratic left.

The elections also represent an important test for AIPAC itself. Supporters argue that the organization helps elect candidates committed to the US-Israel alliance and discourages positions they view as hostile to Israel. Critics counter that its massive financial involvement reflects excessive outside influence in local elections.

Victories by Stevens and Bell would reinforce the argument that the pro-Israel establishment remains politically influential within the Democratic Party. Victories by El-Sayed or Bush, however, would suggest that financial resources alone may no longer be enough to halt the ideological transformation taking place among Democratic primary voters.

The broader political implications could extend well beyond 2026. Analysts believe the Michigan result, in particular, may shape how Democratic presidential hopefuls position themselves on Israel ahead of the 2028 election cycle.

For Israel, Tuesday’s primaries may not determine the future of the US-Israel relationship, but they could provide one of the clearest indicators yet of where the Democratic Party is heading. The question is no longer whether Israel will remain an issue within Democratic politics, but rather which vision of the relationship is gaining momentum: one that views the US-Israel alliance as a strategic pillar to be preserved, or one that sees tougher policies toward Israel as an increasingly viable electoral strategy.

This post was originally published on here. 

After continuing to settle into our life in Israel, we decided that some outstanding domestic duties required attention on the sceptered Isle of Great Britain, with a trip to the new center of antisemitism, Ireland, thrown in.

On these two islands, apart from many other natives, live a 95-year-old Mother-in-Law and a 2-year-old granddaughter.

After a few days in the UK, we realized we had successfully reversed our lives. Israel is our home: the UK is an unhappy place to visit. In fact, it wasn’t us that had reversed position… it was the World. Even the weather is in reverse. We left a balmy June in Israel and replaced it with a scorching July in Britain. How odd is that? Positively Shakespearean. 

But the weather was not the worst of it. A lot can happen when you are in another country for a few weeks, especially those that you have witnessed becoming more and more hostile and those where the governments spend all of their waking hours berating Israel. 

I have charted for you the coming of a new government in the UK, under the stewardship of Andy Burnham. We have now witnessed at first hand its first couple of weeks.

The UK remains ungovernable due to immigration. For any person to gain entry, you simply require a reserved seat on a rubber dinghy, and provided you jettison any identity documents you had gone to the trouble and expense of having forged, if when you touch land you call out “home” you have made it.

Assuming that you know the English word “home”. There then begins the unformulated process of moving you between army barracks and hotels until it is resolved whether you are a legal or illegal immigrant. Whichever it is, it seems you are allowed to stay. 

The scale of this is out of control. In four days, July 23-26,10 boats brought 709 migrants to the UK. In the year ending March 2026, the numbers totaled 37,970. The majority fall into the category of illegals, and here’s the rub: 12% are Iranian young men. No doubt the Moroccans that broke into Spain will soon be arriving in Britain.

On July 25, it became widely publicized that some of those coming to UK shores are linked to the IRGC Unit 700, and the Iranian regime is threatening to avenge the UK for allowing the US to use their bases in Britain to launch attacks on Iran.

The British people seem to have forgotten the 7/7/ bombings, when 4 radicalized Islamists connected to al-Qaeda blew up underground trains and a bus, killing 56 and injuring 784. 

What the IRA had begun in the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s was taken over by extreme muslims, including the attempt to decapitate a British soldier, Lee Rigby.

So as we arrived in Britain, the prospect of renewed terrorism on the streets rang loud and clear.

 Who else greeted us? Sarah Mullally had been appointed the first woman archbishop of Canterbury. The appointment was replaced by disappointment, as she was photographed at her official residence, Lambeth Palace, standing beneath a photo of the former Palestinian terrorist leader Yasser Arafat.

But what she has done is almost as bad as Arafat. She has led and encouraged the Church of England gathering at the General Synod to pass a resolution to hear the “Kairos Palestine II”. This claims that the Palestinians live “in a time of genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement unfolding before the eyes of the World”. 

The Archbishop says she continues to pray and support her Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers. And whilst she claims she also stands in solidarity with the Jewish community of the UK. Of course she does not refer to the hostages, October 7, or any sympathetic reference to Israel.

The Church proclaims now that the October massacre was inevitable and cannot remain silent in the face of the destruction of life. Palestinian life that is. So that’s the church for you.

Sadiq Khan becoming a member of the House of Lords

After crossing the River Thames and driving for 4 minutes, you come to the House of Lords and its newest member.

Donald Trump has referred to London Mayor Sadiq Khan in his typical style: “grossly incompetent, a bad person and a bad representative for your (UK) country.” He was not wrong.

Therefore, it was obviously just a matter of time until Keir Starmer honored him with a peerage that entitles him to sit in the House of Lords. Khan has echoed calls originally raised by Zohran Mamdani, advocating for the arrest and prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Which brings us to yet another upstanding and outstanding member of the professional classes of Britain, Karim Khan. On June 8, he was formally suspended by the International Criminal Court following an 18-month investigation into alleged coercive and non-consensual sexual misconduct.

Compared with Bibi, against whom he issued an arrest warrant, I do not doubt that the company of Bibi would be far less distasteful than either of the Khans mentioned above.

Next week off to Ireland, the new European captains of antisemitism. There is a new president, Catherine Connolly, whose sister had occupied a place on one of the flotillas designed to bring much-needed supplies (2 cans of tomato soup) to Gaza.

When we arrived back in Britain, we said to ourselves, Cheer up; things could be worse, so we cheered up, and they were. 

But there is one silver lining in the cloud. Boy George, growing up in London, has released a song called “ We Will Dance Again,” featuring his total support for Israel and the Jewish people. It is simply the most beautiful song I have ever heard. Britain is toxic. We will be home very soon.

The writer is a retired criminal Judge and author. He lives between London and Zichron Ya’akov.

This post was originally published on here. 

The latest round of US-facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon began on Tuesday in Rome and will continue through Thursday.

The discussions concern which country – or countries – will be responsible for verifying that areas entered by the Lebanese Armed Forces under the pilot phase of Hezbollah’s disarmament are free of both Hezbollah operatives and the group’s weapons, three sources familiar with the talks have told The Jerusalem Post.

One of the countries that may take up the role is Italy.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that the talks were underway.

“The United States remains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward in a manner that delivers lasting security for both countries, eliminates security threats to Israel, and restores Lebanese state authority throughout the south,” Pigott wrote in a post on X/Twitter.

On Tuesday, Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal met with the commander of Italy’s Joint Operations Command, Lieutenant-General Giovanni Maria Iannucci.

According to a statement released by the Lebanese Army, the two discussed “the overall situation, recent developments, ways to support the Lebanese Army in light of the challenges it faces, and the available options for the period following the end of UNIFIL’s mission.”

Who will verify Hezbollah disarmament without UNIFIL?

At the outset of the negotiations, insisted that it should be the party authorized to enter areas secured by the Lebanese Armed Forces in order to provide the final confirmation that they had been cleared of Hezbollah’s presence. However, following strong opposition from the Lebanese government, Israeli, Lebanese, and US officials began discussing which country – or countries – could verify that the areas are free of Hezbollah personnel and weapons.

Israel and the US are firmly opposed to extending the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, which is set to expire at the end of the year; they do not want the multinational peacekeeping force to be responsible for conducting the final verification on the ground.

One source familiar with the discussions told the Post that no final decision has been made and that several alternatives remain under consideration.

This post was originally published on here. 

Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor and head of the Diamond Exchange District Administration, Israel Zari, joined Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party on Tuesday, the party announced, marking him as the latest public official to join the former IDF chief’s list.

Eisenkot praised Zari’s record in municipal government and public service, highlighting his work to strengthen local government, advance equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community, and expand opportunities for young Israelis.

“Israel brings with him young, courageous, and principled leadership, alongside municipal experience and extensive work to strengthen civic engagement among teenagers and young adults,” Eisenkot said.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by גדי איזנקוט- Gadi Eisenkot (@gadi_eisenkot)

“Together with him, we will continue building honest, responsible, and unifying national leadership for all Israeli citizens.”

Zari, 36, is a Ramat Gan resident who holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with honors from Reichman University and is a graduate of the Argov Program for Leadership and Diplomacy.

Israel Zari, first openly gay Ramat Gan official, joins Eisenkot’s party

Before entering elected office, he served as a personal adviser to Israel’s transportation minister, spokesperson for the Ra’anana Municipality, spokesperson for the Israeli Scouts movement, and spokesperson for the Aguda, The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel. Those roles gave him experience working with government ministries, local authorities, and civil society organizations.

In 2018, Zari was first elected to the Ramat Gan City Council through an independent party for young residents that he founded at the age of 28. He became the city’s first openly LGBTQ elected official and later led reforms that brought Ramat Gan to the top of the Aguda’s national municipal LGBTQ equality index.

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.

Zari said his decision to enter national politics stemmed from his long-standing work with young Israelis and his belief that greater civic involvement is needed.

“Throughout my life I have worked with young people, and I have always taught them that if they do not act, no one else will do it for them,” he said.

“The reality in Israel in 2026 requires us not to stand on the sidelines but to take responsibility and influence the country’s national decision-making centers. Throughout my public service, I have believed that leadership is measured by action, by the courage to advance equality, and by concern for future generations,” he added.

“The hatred and division in Israeli society are a real existential danger, and I decided to join Gadi Eisenkot and the Yashar party because I believe in honest, statesmanlike leadership that rises above partisan politics, serves all Israeli citizens, and offers a genuine vision of hope and unity.”

This post was originally published on here. 

More than 150 people were rescued in the English Channel after a migrant boat caught on fire on Tuesday morning, French authorities announced.

The French maritime prefecture of the Channel and North Sea said in a statement that 157 people were rescued from the boat and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer after its engine caught on fire.

#Opérations d’assistance et de #sauvetage de 157 personnes au large de Boulogne-sur-mer (62)

Coordination@CROSSGrisNez

En savoir plus ➡️https://t.co/M1yUURnTRo pic.twitter.com/3GfPRBD6rP

— Préfecture maritime Manche et mer du Nord (@premarmanche) August 4, 2026

During the night of Monday-Tuesday, the French Sea Rescue Society (SNSM) rescued five people from the boat who required immediate assistance; however, the remaining passengers refused help, French authorities said.

“Given the structural fragility of the overcrowded boats, the decision was made not to systematically force the boats to embark on rescue vessels, in order to avoid endangering the migrants’ lives in the event of a shipwreck,” French authorities said.

Fire broke out after ship’s engine deteriorated

Hours later, while traveling through the French Safety Restricted Route, the ship’s engine caught fire and “the vessel’s integrity deteriorated rapidly.”

The Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center broadcast a Mayday message, and French and British rescue teams were dispatched to the area to rescue shipwrecked individuals.

At the end of the operation, 157 people had been rescued and brought to Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. French boats rescued 103 migrants, and the British boats rescued the remaining 545.

No fatalities have been reported.

This post was originally published on here. 

An Indian vessel sank near Yemeni waters after being struck by an unknown projectile on Tuesday, according to India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal.

According to Sonowal, all 14 seafarers on board, including 13 Indian nationals, were rescued by Yemen’s coast guard.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attacks and stated that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh is closely monitoring the situation in addition to coordinating with Yemeni authorities to ensure the continued safety of the seafarers.

Indian MSV Faize Noore Oliya has been hit by a projectile near Yemeni waters, causing the vessel to capsize and sink.

India strongly condemns this unprovoked attack on the defenseless mechanised sailing vessel. The safety of our people is our supreme priority & I am relieved to…

— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) August 4, 2026

The Ministry described recent attacks on commercial shipping in the region as “deeply worrisome.” It called for the end of such violence and the restoration of unimpeded navigation in line with international law.

Ship traffic through Red Sea slows due to Houthi threats

In recent days, ship traffic through the Red Sea has slowed due to threats from Yemen’s Houthi terrorist organization.

Ship tracking data showed that at least six Saudi-flagged supertankers changed course in the Gulf of Aden to avoid transit through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

This post was originally published on here. 

A UK Employment Appeal Tribunal has upheld a ruling that former University of Bristol professor Dr. David Miller’s anti-Zionist beliefs, as defined in his case, qualified as protected philosophical beliefs under the Equality Act 2010.

Miller was employed as a professor of political sociology at the University of Bristol from September 2018 to October 2021. Miller was dismissed for gross misconduct relating to comments he made on three occasions during February 2021.

These included the following: saying, “the enemy we face here is Zionism and the imperial policies of the Israeli state”; asking that “Zionism is ended”; saying “Zionism is racism”; saying the Israeli state is the cause of antisemitism; arguing that Zionism deliberately fosters Islamophobia; and saying that “Jewish student groups [that support Israel] are a threat to the safety of Arab and Muslim students.”

Since October 7, his comments have included praising or legitimizing October 7, and calling for Zionists to “go home.”

UK tribunal rules professor’s anti-Zionism protected

After his dismissal, Miller brought a complaint in the Employment Tribunal arguing that his beliefs were protected philosophical beliefs, that he was harassed for his beliefs, and that he was wrongfully dismissed.

In Tuesday’s ruling, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld that the specific beliefs advanced by David Miller satisfied the test for a protected philosophical belief under section 10 of the Equality Act.

Those beliefs were defined as: that political Zionism (as Miller defined it) is inherently racist, imperialistic, and colonial; and that political Zionism, therefore, must be opposed.

EAT found those beliefs met the five criteria for protection, including being “worthy of respect in a democratic society” and also accepted Miller’s argument that he was not supportive of violence as a means of opposing Zionism.

The university tried to argue in the appeal that Miller’s description of his anti-Zionist beliefs did not accurately reflect his true beliefs. However, the Appeal Tribunal said that the university had not contested this at the Tribunal hearing and could not debate it now.

EAT did not rule that all anti-Zionist beliefs are protected, but that a particular anti-Zionist belief can qualify as a protected philosophical belief if it satisfies the Grainger criteria.

EAT also upheld the finding that Miller’s dismissal was discriminatory because dismissal was a disproportionate response.

The ruling does not establish that employers cannot dismiss an anti-Zionist employee.

The Tribunal, whose findings EAT had upheld, accepted that Bristol had legitimate aims in dismissing Miller, such as protecting staff, students, and the university’s reputation.

It said that disciplinary action short of dismissal could have been justified, but that dismissal itself was disproportionate on the facts of this case.

Additionally, EAT found that some of Miller’s conduct toward students was blameworthy, including aggressive comments directed at student societies.

It rejected some of his discrimination claims and concluded that his conduct contributed to his dismissal, reducing his compensation by 50% for contributory fault.

Following the ruling, Miller posted on X/Twitter: “We have set a binding legal precedent! Anti-Zionism is now a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010. Full stop.”

“This is a public humiliation for the genocidal Zionist regime, whose assets in Britain bullied the university into sacking me and then dragged them into this futile appeal. Their legal strategy has collapsed. Their pressure campaign has spectacularly backfired.”

As noted above, this is not correct.

Jonathan Turner, director of UK Lawyers for Israel, told The Jerusalem Post: “It is important to understand that both the Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal decided the case on the basis of David Miller’s particular description of anti-Zionism. They did not find that all forms of anti-Zionism are protected under the Equality Act.”

“Overall, the Tribunal found that both the university and David Miller were at fault. Miller is likely to be awarded some compensation, but not reinstated.”

Turner noted that the appeal decision, in fact, provides further support for the view that legitimate forms of Zionism are also protected under the Equality Act. This is in line with the earlier decision in the McEleny case that a belief in Scottish Independence was protected.

“This means that discriminating against, harassing, or victimizing someone because of their Zionist views is liable to breach the Equality Act,” he added.

This post was originally published on here. 

Karen Bick has spent the days leading up to Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary fielding calls from Jewish friends urging her to vote for US Rep. Haley Stevens.

Despite the pressure, Bick, 69, said she plans to sit out the race altogether. As much as she is compelled by the campaign of Stevens’ progressive opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, his accusations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza have kept her from voting for him. Stevens’ campaign, she said, hasn’t given her enough reason to vote for her instead.

“I am very pro-Israel. I’m not pro-[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, which is part of the whole thing. A lot of my friends who are Jewish have been calling me, trying to get Haley, but it’s like they’re looking at one issue,” said Bick, a Jewish resident of Oak Park, a suburb of Detroit. “I don’t think that Israel should take precedence over all the other issues just because somebody’s pro-Israel.”

Bick’s ambivalence reflects a divide among Michigan Jews in a primary where Israel has emerged as one of the sharpest contrasts between the candidates. Stevens has served in the House since 2019 as a reliable supporter of Israel, while El-Sayed, a former county health official, has made opposition to US support for Israel and AIPAC’s spending in the race a hallmark of his campaign.

That doesn’t mean El-Sayed is without Jewish supporters.

Barbara Weinberg Barefield, a longtime Detroit resident who helped found the city’s Jewish Voice for Peace chapter, has been campaigning for El-Sayed since the beginning of the race, including organizing fundraisers, phone banking and canvassing. She also helped organize “Jews for Abdul,” a group of Jewish supporters working to elect him.

El-Sayed’s use of ‘genocide’ term an essential attribute, supporter says

Weinberg Barefield, 76, said that El-Sayed’s use of the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza was an essential component of her support for him.

“We are trying to let people know that there are many Jewish people that support Abdul and support his objectives and support his voice,” Weinberg Barefield said. “Justice, equality, and freedom are part of the fabric of me being a Jew and the message that we put forth for ‘Jews for Abdul:’ that he is a candidate that represents our morality, our ethics, and frankly, I think these are the things that most people in this country want.”

Suzanne Levin, an 83-year-old Jewish Michigander, initially supported Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow, whose withdrawal from the race left progressive Jews in the state facing a political dilemma.

For Levin, the choice quickly became clear. She got an El-Sayed lawn sign and “Jews for Abdul” t-shirt and threw her support behind his campaign.

In doing so, Levin has rejected accusations from Stevens and some Jewish Democratic leaders in the state that El-Sayed’s rhetoric and associations have crossed the line into antisemitism.

“They believe all this crap about El-Sayed, that he’s antisemitic, and I have listened to so many of his talks, and when they ask him ‘should there be an Israel,’ he says there should be a place where people could all be safe, and people should be okay,” Levin said.

El-Sayed describes Israeli government as ‘evil’

Other Jewish Democrats have reached a starkly different conclusion about El-Sayed, who has said the Israeli government is as “evil” as Hamas and often accuses Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza while advocating that US aid to Israel be diverted to domestic priorities.

Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, which has endorsed Stevens, said that she had been “concerned” by El-Sayed’s response following the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

At the time, El-Sayed sparked outcry by putting out a statement that discussed Israel’s war in Lebanon, where the attacker’s brother was killed. Soifer said she believed El-Sayed “equivocated and provided a justification for a situation, which there was no justification.”

“If he wants to be senator of a state that has such a large Jewish population, he must demonstrate an ability to stand with that community as we face the rise of antisemitism,” Soifer said. “On that issue in particular, Haley has been a leader in Congress.” The state has close to 130,000 Jews.

Soifer said her group’s volunteers had put out close to 10,000 calls to Michigan voters urging them to back Stevens.

Zach Nessel, a 23-year-old Michigan State University graduate and the secretary of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, shared many of Soifer’s concerns as he knocked on doors for Stevens in Oak Park Monday.

“I’m absolutely concerned about his rhetoric,” said Nessel, whose mother is Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “I think he’s spending more of his time trying to ostracize pro-Israel Democrats than he is looking to fight Trump, and that’s what I see amongst a lot of his allies.”

Nessel said he had been especially concerned by El-Sayed’s campaign event at his alma mater in April alongside Hasan Piker, an anti-Israel streamer whose rhetoric has been called antisemitic by many Jewish groups and leaders.

“The fact that my former Dem Club is hosting an antisemite that has positive things to say about Hezbollah, a US-designated terrorist organization that has killed Americans, that’s horrifying,” Nessel said. “And the fact that you know Abdul is campaigning with someone like that is insane.”

Nessel said that he had visited over 500 homes across the Detroit area to champion Stevens. During his visits, he said voters rarely brought up Israel or AIPAC on their own.

But Nessel said he worried that a potential El-Sayed victory Tuesday could encourage other candidates to adopt similar tactics, with consequences for Jewish participation in the Democratic Party.

“Most people, they want to fight [US President Donald] Trump, and they want to make things more affordable,” Nessel said. “And if this sort of commotion is successful, then they’ll keep on doing it, and that’ll make it hard for members of the Jewish community to continue to participate in our party.”

This post was originally published on here. 

All Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip will now require the approval of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Army Radio reported Tuesday, citing security sources.

The requirement comes as the military tightens its overall attack policies, which until now required only the approval of a division commander.

The recent reduction of IDF attacks in Gaza is a direct result of the policy changes and the general reduction in targets since the October 7 massacre, the report said.

There had not been any strikes in Gaza over the past 48 hours, except for a single attack early on Monday, it said.

Any “escalation of the policy of attacks in Gaza is a decision of the political echelon,” Army Radio quoted the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit as saying.

IDF kills multiple Gaza terrorists in recent strikes

Multiple Gazans from various terrorist groups have been killed in recent weeks, including this past weekend in several strikes, the IDF reported.

One of the strikes over the weekend in the Deir el-Balah area killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad Central Gaza Brigade commander, Mahmoud Fatair, the IDF reported Monday. He had taken part in the October 7 massacre and was involved in holding Rom Braslavski hostage, it said.

Also on Monday, the IDF confirmed killing Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) terrorist Alaa Imad Khamis Tarams in Gaza City last week.

The IDF said it had killed a Hamas Jabalya Battalion commander, Ahmad Khudar, the previous week.

On Sunday, the IDF said it had killed Hamas Nukhba commander Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad in southern Gaza on Saturday. He had taken part in the October 7 massacre, it said.

The IDF confirmed the killing of a Hamas Maghazi Battalion commander, Muhammad Abd al-Nasser Muhammad Khatib, on Friday.

Shoshana Baker contributed to this report.

This post was originally published on here. 

Yashar Party chairman Gadi Eisenkot called on Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Danny Levi to order an immediate investigation into the assault of a 76-year-old party activist who remains hospitalized after undergoing neurological surgery.

Ilan Mans, who heads the party’s Mevaseret Zion branch, was attacked last week near the Hemed Interchange on Highway 1 after attempting to remove a banner calling for the release of Yigal Amir, who murdered prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

Footage from the scene showed several people surrounding Mans and assaulting him after he fell to the ground.

Mans was taken to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Ein Kerem with bleeding in his brain. Eisenkot said in a letter sent to Levy on Monday that Mans’s condition had required neurological surgery and that he remained hospitalized.

Attack could foreshadow political violence in run-up to election

“Violence of this kind, 84 days before election day, could be a grave indication of what awaits us during this period and cannot be tolerated,” Eisenkot wrote.

He demanded a “comprehensive, thorough and rapid” investigation and called on police to arrest those responsible and bring them to justice.

Eisenkot said authorities must send a clear message, particularly during the election campaign, that political violence would not be accepted.

The incident follows a campaign calling for Amir’s release. A similar banner was displayed at the Ein Hemed Interchange in late June. 

This post was originally published on here. 

Palestine Action Canada and the Arms Embargo Now coalition have announced a coordinated, coast-to-coast “Day of Action” scheduled for August 13, calling on activists to mobilize outside the facilities of Canadian companies that supply components to defense contractor Elbit Systems.

Promotional materials released by the campaign urge activists to put local Elbit suppliers “on notice,” demanding that these businesses sever their commercial ties or “pay the political, financial, and reputational cost of complicity.” The organizers framed the upcoming demonstrations as an effort to enforce an unofficial arms embargo from the ground up, stating that the actions aim to make Canada’s involvement in the Gaza conflict “undeniable.”

To prepare activists for the coordinated actions, the coalition rolled out a specialized training workshop, posted to YouTube on June 25, 2026, led by prominent organizers including World BEYOND War Canada Organizer Rachel Small and Palestinian Youth Movement organizer Haneen Ismail.

During the instructional sessions, Small and Ismail walked participants through the logistics of targeting domestic supply chains, instructing activists on identifying local manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and offices that supply parts to Elbit Systems while encouraging participants to make business operations “politically toxic” for corporate leadership.

Activists provide detailed instructions for seeking, targeting Elbit-tied entities

The training further provided step-by-step instructions on utilizing advanced search tools, mapping software, and corporate registries to compile dossiers on businesses and track their supply chain links to military contractors. Presenter discussions centered on methods for building local pressure groups, staging informational pickets, and coordinating simultaneous actions across multiple provinces to maximize public visibility.

Complementing these digital resources, promotional campaigns featuring imagery of raised hands holding a hammer alongside a Palestinian flag have circulated online, bearing the slogan “Arms tired from waving flags? Workout with a hammer!” and advertising direct action training sessions.

The coalition also published a detailed digital toolkit outlining an eight-step mobilization process for activists. The instructions guide participants through assembling local teams, scouting target locations using mapping tools, planning logistics, and coordinating media outreach. The toolkit suggests various tactics for the August 13 events, including hosting informational pickets, organizing rallies outside corporate facilities, and plastering the surrounding areas with posters to publicly identify companies linked to the defense contractor.

As part of these preparatory efforts, the coalition has already compiled a cross-country target list consisting of 33 potential corporate and manufacturing sites across multiple provinces, ranging from British Columbia and Alberta to Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, identified as allegedly having direct commercial or supply links to Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, aiming to stage simultaneous demonstrations outside key industrial and manufacturing sites tied to military supply chains.

Meir Weinstein, director of the Canadian-based Israel Now movement and newly formed Jewish Defense Force, gave a statement to The Jerusalem Post: “[The] Jewish Defense Force is actively monitoring Palestine Action Canada and their associates. We have identified some locations that they plan to target on Thursday, August 13. We are discussing counter-protests. We have contacted some of the businesses that are on the target list.”

Jewish groups advocated for Palestine Action to be designated as terrorist organization

The campaign’s tactics and digital target mapping have faced sharp backlash from advocacy groups. In May 2026, B’nai Brith Canada urged the federal government to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist entity, pointing to the group’s dissemination of target maps and underground manuals that outline instructions for direct action and property disruption.

The group’s international counterpart has already faced severe regulatory consequences abroad. In July 2025, the UK government formally proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The ban followed an escalation of aggressive direct-action campaigns that involved breaking into defense facilities, occupying corporate roofs, utilizing pyrotechnics during building evacuations, and causing millions of dollars in extensive property damage to military and technological infrastructure, including an incident where activists sprayed red paint on Royal Air Force aircraft at Brize Norton.

This post was originally published on here. 

Ireland’s new government jet, which cost the republic €53m., was purchased without FalconEye, a technology co-developed by Dassault Falcon and Israeli defense giant Elbit Systems, that is essential for the aircraft to land in foggy weather, local media reported on Tuesday.

FalconEye sits on the plane’s nose and helps it to land in foggy weather, or in other weather conditions that limit visibility, Irish outlet The Journal noted.

According to Dassault Falcon’s official website, it is “an advanced combined vision system (CVS) developed by Dassault Aviation in partnership with Elbit Systems. Designed for executive and military jets, it merges enhanced real-world video (EVS) with database-driven synthetic terrain mapping (SVS) to provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness in zero-visibility conditions like fog, snow, or darkness.”

Dublin’s Defense Department denied the issue, saying the new aircraft has “no current limits” on its operational capability.

The jet, a Dassault Falcon 6X, is primarily used to transport the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister), as well as other government ministers and officials, when traveling on official state business.

The new jet was delivered in December 2025, and can carry 14 passengers. It replaced the government’s Lear Jet, and is operated by the Irish Air Corps (the military’s air force).

The FalconEye provides “the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport,” former IAC pilot Kevin Phipps was cited by The Journal as saying.

Irish PM promises not to purchase equipment featuring Israeli technology

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, in 2024 when serving as foreign minister, said that Ireland would not purchase equipment that features Israeli-made products, Irish media cited.

Despite this, The Journal found that four helicopters belonging to the IAC were delivered with flight systems co-developed by Elbit and Airbus, as “the craft cannot be built without them.”

Additionally, a maritime patrol craft was delivered with an Israeli-made radar, The Journal added.

This post was originally published on here. 

The High Court of Justice on Tuesday ordered Justice Minister Yariv Levin to clarify whether he intends to advance senior appointments to the Police Investigation Department (PID) before the October 27 election.

Levin and the Attorney-General’s Office were given until Sunday to state whether they plan to proceed with appointments created under the law separating the department, known in Hebrew by the acronym Mahash, from the State Attorney’s Office.

The court specifically asked whether the government intends to appoint the department’s director, members of the committee that will select the director, and a retired judge responsible for coordinating investigations involving police officers.

The three-justice panel said the response must address Supreme Court precedent requiring particular restraint in senior public-sector appointments during an election period. It will decide how to continue handling the petitions after receiving the filing; at present, it is seeking to establish whether Levin plans to move forward before deciding whether temporary intervention is necessary.

The order was issued by Supreme Court Chief Justice Isaac Amit, Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg, and Justice Daphne Barak-Erez as part of three petitions challenging the restructuring of the department.

The petitions were filed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the Academia for Democratic Israel and other petitioners, and the Israel Bar Association. They have asked the court to suspend implementation while their broader challenges are considered.

Israeli law does not impose an absolute prohibition on appointments during an election period. Courts have, however, required governments to exercise greater restraint when making senior or long-term appointments that could bind the next government. Appointments may still proceed where a position must urgently be filled or where delay would significantly harm the public interest.

Law removes PID from State Attorney’s Office, establishes separate Justice Ministry

The law, passed by the Knesset in June, removes PID from the State Attorney’s Office and establishes it as a separate Justice Ministry department with authority to investigate suspected crimes by police officers and prosecute cases arising from those investigations.

Its supporters argue that the existing structure creates an inherent conflict of interest because prosecutors work closely with the police in ordinary criminal cases while overseeing the body responsible for investigating police misconduct.

They say separating PID from the prosecution will strengthen its independence, improve public confidence and allow it to investigate police officers without relying on officials who routinely cooperate with them.

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and the petitioners argue that the new structure would replace that possible conflict with political dependence.

They contend that Levin would have substantial influence over the committee responsible for selecting the department’s director, while the Justice Ministry would control the department’s budget and administration. In their view, that arrangement could affect the independence of officials handling politically sensitive investigations.

A-G asks High Court to freeze steps to establish new department 

The attorney-general has asked the court to freeze the selection committee, the senior appointments and other steps required to establish the new department until the petitions are decided.

The government and Knesset argue that the legislation falls within the Knesset’s authority to restructure law-enforcement bodies and that the court should not prevent the law from taking effect before examining the full arguments against it.

The Movement for Quality Government welcomed Tuesday’s order.

Movement chairman Eliad Shraga said the decision showed that election-period appointment rules could not be disregarded, particularly in relation to a sensitive law-enforcement position. He said that if Levin proceeds with the appointment process, the court may have to rule on the petitioners’ request for an interim order.

“PID must remain an independent body,” Shraga said, adding that irreversible steps should not be taken before the court rules on the petitions or voters go to the polls.

Levin and the Attorney-General’s Office are required to file their response by August 9. The court will then decide whether to issue temporary orders, request further arguments or schedule the petitions for continued consideration.

This post was originally published on here. 

Yair Golan’s service to Israel deserves respect. A former IDF deputy chief of staff and major-general, he has contributed greatly to the country’s security. He is also obviously entitled to hold left-wing views, oppose the government, and seek to replace it through democratic elections.

Precisely because Golan leads a party called the Democrats and aspires to govern, his own democratic instincts deserve scrutiny. Democracy is tested not only by the causes a politician supports, but by how he treats opponents, public institutions, and media outlets he regards as hostile.

Over the past two years, Golan has repeatedly used language that sits uneasily with the values he claims to defend.
In December 2024, during the controversy over proposals to dismiss Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, Golan declared that any coalition member voting for her removal would become “a full partner in a crime, in the dismantling of democracy and in treason against the State of Israel.”

One may believe that dismissing the attorney general would be reckless or profoundly damaging. But “treason” is not ordinary political criticism. It places a legal and constitutional dispute outside the realm of legitimate disagreement. Once political rivals become traitors, alternation in power begins to resemble a struggle between patriots and enemies.

That same month, after an investigative report raised questions about Police Commissioner Daniel Levy’s relationship with figures close to the Netanyahu family, Golan warned him that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “will not always be here to protect you,” adding that after the government changed, “if necessary, we will settle accounts with you as well.”

Golan was entitled to demand an investigation. Yet “settle accounts” is the language of political retribution, not institutional accountability. Investigators, prosecutors, and courts should examine suspected misconduct. Opposition leaders should demand due process, not imply that a change of government will bring personal reckoning.

The same problem appeared in May 2025, when Golan said that “a sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not set itself the goal of expelling a population.” He later clarified that his attack was directed at the government and praised IDF soldiers as heroes. That clarification matters, but does not erase the original formulation.

An Israeli leader, particularly a former general, knows such words will be heard beyond the domestic arena. They can be used to portray Israel and its soldiers as deliberately murderous.

Severe criticism of government policy is legitimate; language echoing the most inflammatory accusations against Israel is neither responsible nor necessary.

‘Cleaning up’ the government is not an inclusive, democratic sentiment 

In September 2025, before David Zini had begun serving as head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Golan announced that a future government led by his camp would remove him and “clean up the civil service.” He added that appointments made by the current government would be reviewed and replaced if they had departed from the democratic path.

A new government may reconsider certain senior appointments and investigate improper politicization. But announcing that the civil service must be “cleaned up” risks replacing one alleged loyalty test with another. The permanent state apparatus belongs neither to Netanyahu nor to Golan.

At the end of 2025, Golan promised that his camp would close Channel 14, which he described as propaganda rather than legitimate media. He later said it would be transformed into “real media.”

Channel 14 is openly ideological and entirely open to criticism. But governments should not decide which broadcasters qualify as genuine media. If a channel violates regulations or the law, regulators and courts should address specific violations. The democratic answer to partisan media is stronger standards, competition, and pluralism – not closure by political decree.

Golan’s response to the deadly events near Gilad Farm in July 2026 raised a related moral concern. He expressed regret for the loss of “Israeli and Palestinian lives alike” and called for everyone involved in violence to be prosecuted. 

Compassion for every innocent life is essential. Yet his wording did not distinguish between the two Israelis who died, Maj. Yuval Ezra and Benayahu Mellet, and the Palestinian whom the IDF identified as an attacker who seized a weapon and opened fire.

Golan then moved rapidly from mourning the dead to blaming the government, illegal outposts, and extremist settlers for creating an explosive reality. Those issues deserve debate, and the entire incident should be investigated. But political context must not erase individual responsibility.

Recognizing everyone’s humanity does not require placing victims and an armed attacker on the same moral plane. A national leader should first express condolences to the Israeli families and condemn the shooting unambiguously, before moving to the political argument.

Israeli democracy cannot be protected through a monopoly on democratic virtue. It requires restraint when describing opponents, respect for due process, tolerance of hostile media, and recognition that public institutions must survive government changes without becoming instruments of revenge.

Golan presents himself as a defender of Israeli democracy. To make that claim convincing, he must show that democracy protects not only the people and institutions he values, but also the opponents, officials, and journalists he distrusts.

A democratic leader is measured by whether he continues to recognize them as legitimate participants in a shared political order.

The writer is an Israeli educator and former director of the TALI Education Fund and the Hebrew University of Mexico.

This post was originally published on here. 

Yair Golan’s service to Israel deserves respect. A former IDF deputy chief of staff and major-general, he has contributed greatly to the country’s security. He is also obviously entitled to hold left-wing views, oppose the government, and seek to replace it through democratic elections.

Precisely because Golan leads a party called the Democrats and aspires to govern, his own democratic instincts deserve scrutiny. Democracy is tested not only by the causes a politician supports, but by how he treats opponents, public institutions, and media outlets he regards as hostile.

Over the past two years, Golan has repeatedly used language that sits uneasily with the values he claims to defend.
In December 2024, during the controversy over proposals to dismiss Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, Golan declared that any coalition member voting for her removal would become “a full partner in a crime, in the dismantling of democracy and in treason against the State of Israel.”

One may believe that dismissing the attorney general would be reckless or profoundly damaging. But “treason” is not ordinary political criticism. It places a legal and constitutional dispute outside the realm of legitimate disagreement. Once political rivals become traitors, alternation in power begins to resemble a struggle between patriots and enemies.

That same month, after an investigative report raised questions about Police Commissioner Daniel Levy’s relationship with figures close to the Netanyahu family, Golan warned him that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “will not always be here to protect you,” adding that after the government changed, “if necessary, we will settle accounts with you as well.”

Golan was entitled to demand an investigation. Yet “settle accounts” is the language of political retribution, not institutional accountability. Investigators, prosecutors, and courts should examine suspected misconduct. Opposition leaders should demand due process, not imply that a change of government will bring personal reckoning.

The same problem appeared in May 2025, when Golan said that “a sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not set itself the goal of expelling a population.” He later clarified that his attack was directed at the government and praised IDF soldiers as heroes. That clarification matters, but does not erase the original formulation.

An Israeli leader, particularly a former general, knows such words will be heard beyond the domestic arena. They can be used to portray Israel and its soldiers as deliberately murderous.

Severe criticism of government policy is legitimate; language echoing the most inflammatory accusations against Israel is neither responsible nor necessary.

‘Cleaning up’ the government is not an inclusive, democratic sentiment 

In September 2025, before David Zini had begun serving as head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Golan announced that a future government led by his camp would remove him and “clean up the civil service.” He added that appointments made by the current government would be reviewed and replaced if they had departed from the democratic path.

A new government may reconsider certain senior appointments and investigate improper politicization. But announcing that the civil service must be “cleaned up” risks replacing one alleged loyalty test with another. The permanent state apparatus belongs neither to Netanyahu nor to Golan.

At the end of 2025, Golan promised that his camp would close Channel 14, which he described as propaganda rather than legitimate media. He later said it would be transformed into “real media.”

Channel 14 is openly ideological and entirely open to criticism. But governments should not decide which broadcasters qualify as genuine media. If a channel violates regulations or the law, regulators and courts should address specific violations. The democratic answer to partisan media is stronger standards, competition, and pluralism – not closure by political decree.

Golan’s response to the deadly events near Gilad Farm in July 2026 raised a related moral concern. He expressed regret for the loss of “Israeli and Palestinian lives alike” and called for everyone involved in violence to be prosecuted. 

Compassion for every innocent life is essential. Yet his wording did not distinguish between the two Israelis who died, Maj. Yuval Ezra and Benayahu Mellet, and the Palestinian whom the IDF identified as an attacker who seized a weapon and opened fire.

Golan then moved rapidly from mourning the dead to blaming the government, illegal outposts, and extremist settlers for creating an explosive reality. Those issues deserve debate, and the entire incident should be investigated. But political context must not erase individual responsibility.

Recognizing everyone’s humanity does not require placing victims and an armed attacker on the same moral plane. A national leader should first express condolences to the Israeli families and condemn the shooting unambiguously, before moving to the political argument.

Israeli democracy cannot be protected through a monopoly on democratic virtue. It requires restraint when describing opponents, respect for due process, tolerance of hostile media, and recognition that public institutions must survive government changes without becoming instruments of revenge.

Golan presents himself as a defender of Israeli democracy. To make that claim convincing, he must show that democracy protects not only the people and institutions he values, but also the opponents, officials, and journalists he distrusts.

A democratic leader is measured by whether he continues to recognize them as legitimate participants in a shared political order.

The writer is an Israeli educator and former director of the TALI Education Fund and the Hebrew University of Mexico.

This post was originally published on here. 

The world is a much better place because Israel exists. That is a sine qua non. There should never be doubt about the veracity of that statement.

And yet, Israel spends an inordinate amount of time and money and exerts large amounts of energy on trying to convince nations, leaders, and people in general of the Jewish state’s positive role in the world.

To my thinking, it is time and energy well spent. The herculean effort is very important both for Israel and for the world.

Recognition of Israel’s central role on this globe is not merely a simple matter of agreeing on one specific policy or another. It is about trade, access to markets and economies. It is about technology and science. And it is certainly about military sales and procurement, about intelligence gathering and intelligence sharing.

Isolation is a bad policy. We need to disregard those who, on the one hand, stand firm in their belief that Israel should not care about what others think and those others, Israelis, Americans and Europeans, who have lost patience with the incessant Israel bashing and with what they see as Israel’s feeble attempts to mollify and justify the attacks. Israel must continue on the path that she has been traversing.

From the very creation of the state, Israel set ethical standards high, higher than any other military in the world. And then, officially and unofficially, Israel repeatedly judges herself, assuring that it can go no higher.

The judgment, the critique, the approbation and the disapproval are discussed and dissected not only in the corridors of power and behind governmental doors.

It is carried on with as much passion and conviction by the media as it is in the local cafes of Tel Aviv, Paris, and New York and at Shabbat tables around the world.

The reason is obvious. It is understandable. Israel must act to protect herself. And Israel’s citizens do not have an obligation to die for someone else’s conception of a just or unjust war. 

To do that, Israel still must rally at a high pitch to reach not just critics, not friends, not just those waffling and wavering in the middle – but everybody. Everyone from world leaders to university academics, from financial wizards to Main Street pedestrians.

Why? Because what they think about Israel is crucially important. It is important as a strategy for Israel’s long-term security, for Israel’s military safety and economic stability – especially the dangerous time we now live.

Recognition and acceptance devalue the argument that Israel is a pariah. Take Israel’s neighbors Jordan and Egypt as examples. It is not in either of their interests to join the present fray and attack Israel – even small attacks.

What is in their interests is to keep their borders with Israel secure and quiet. Not because, if they dared to attack, they would certainly lose, because they would lose so much. And so, despite their disagreements, the status quo is maintained.

Promoting the positives of Israel is not simply a psychologically essential stand for Israelis; it is also an important strategy. As important as a strong military. Building durable, strong relationships and alliances attracts investments, and investments lead to normalization. It is those links that make Israel safer. And safety is an essential part of Israel’s foundation.

Israel needs partners for trade, defense, and intelligence

Israel wants and needs partners who recognize the importance of trade and cooperation with Jerusalem on defense and intelligence.

The examples are clear. Look at how Israel is pursuing the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. And the same model is applied as Israel seeks wider interactions with Asia, with Europe, and especially with Africa.

Disagreements do not lead to trade stoppages. While there are periodic exceptions, disputes over policy, over Gaza, over Judea and Samaria, do not mean the complete cutting of economic ties even when some diplomatic ties are chilled.

Actually, it’s the opposite right now. Despite constant haranguing and diplomatic kvetching from the EU, the European Union remains one of Israel’s largest trading partners and the relationship continues to grow. To the chagrin of Israel’s enemies and Hamas’ supporters, countries that signed statements condemning Israel continue their trade deals and have not imposed sanctions.

Commercial interest will always trump short-term quixotic critiques. Even loud critics do not determine economic plans.

Israel has made itself virtually irreplaceable in the fields of electronics, computer hardware and software, computer security, biotech, medical tech, medicine, vaccines, weapons, just to name a few. That’s why relationships remain so strong.

The actual cost of disrupting supply chains and technology chains is too high for these countries, who are so fast to criticize, to absorb. To satisfy their public, they proclaim condemnation of Israel with symbolic votes and gestures – and leave their governmental pocketbooks intact. It is way too much to expect 100% agreement 100% of the time even from a tried and true partner like the United States. Disagreements are natural. Commerce and exchanges continue.

Israel is expanding international recognition, building stronger and stronger ties with countries around the globe and following through on a strategy that will make for a safer and more prosperous country.

Israel is working hard and making sound decisions. It is all happening despite the public critique. She needs to respond, and she needs to power forward, building better relations. Let her be.

The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS.

This post was originally published on here. 

The world is a much better place because Israel exists. That is a sine qua non. There should never be doubt about the veracity of that statement.

And yet, Israel spends an inordinate amount of time and money and exerts large amounts of energy on trying to convince nations, leaders, and people in general of the Jewish state’s positive role in the world.

To my thinking, it is time and energy well spent. The herculean effort is very important both for Israel and for the world.

Recognition of Israel’s central role on this globe is not merely a simple matter of agreeing on one specific policy or another. It is about trade, access to markets and economies. It is about technology and science. And it is certainly about military sales and procurement, about intelligence gathering and intelligence sharing.

Isolation is a bad policy. We need to disregard those who, on the one hand, stand firm in their belief that Israel should not care about what others think and those others, Israelis, Americans and Europeans, who have lost patience with the incessant Israel bashing and with what they see as Israel’s feeble attempts to mollify and justify the attacks. Israel must continue on the path that she has been traversing.

From the very creation of the state, Israel set ethical standards high, higher than any other military in the world. And then, officially and unofficially, Israel repeatedly judges herself, assuring that it can go no higher.

The judgment, the critique, the approbation and the disapproval are discussed and dissected not only in the corridors of power and behind governmental doors.

It is carried on with as much passion and conviction by the media as it is in the local cafes of Tel Aviv, Paris, and New York and at Shabbat tables around the world.

The reason is obvious. It is understandable. Israel must act to protect herself. And Israel’s citizens do not have an obligation to die for someone else’s conception of a just or unjust war. 

To do that, Israel still must rally at a high pitch to reach not just critics, not friends, not just those waffling and wavering in the middle – but everybody. Everyone from world leaders to university academics, from financial wizards to Main Street pedestrians.

Why? Because what they think about Israel is crucially important. It is important as a strategy for Israel’s long-term security, for Israel’s military safety and economic stability – especially the dangerous time we now live.

Recognition and acceptance devalue the argument that Israel is a pariah. Take Israel’s neighbors Jordan and Egypt as examples. It is not in either of their interests to join the present fray and attack Israel – even small attacks.

What is in their interests is to keep their borders with Israel secure and quiet. Not because, if they dared to attack, they would certainly lose, because they would lose so much. And so, despite their disagreements, the status quo is maintained.

Promoting the positives of Israel is not simply a psychologically essential stand for Israelis; it is also an important strategy. As important as a strong military. Building durable, strong relationships and alliances attracts investments, and investments lead to normalization. It is those links that make Israel safer. And safety is an essential part of Israel’s foundation.

Israel needs partners for trade, defense, and intelligence

Israel wants and needs partners who recognize the importance of trade and cooperation with Jerusalem on defense and intelligence.

The examples are clear. Look at how Israel is pursuing the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. And the same model is applied as Israel seeks wider interactions with Asia, with Europe, and especially with Africa.

Disagreements do not lead to trade stoppages. While there are periodic exceptions, disputes over policy, over Gaza, over Judea and Samaria, do not mean the complete cutting of economic ties even when some diplomatic ties are chilled.

Actually, it’s the opposite right now. Despite constant haranguing and diplomatic kvetching from the EU, the European Union remains one of Israel’s largest trading partners and the relationship continues to grow. To the chagrin of Israel’s enemies and Hamas’ supporters, countries that signed statements condemning Israel continue their trade deals and have not imposed sanctions.

Commercial interest will always trump short-term quixotic critiques. Even loud critics do not determine economic plans.

Israel has made itself virtually irreplaceable in the fields of electronics, computer hardware and software, computer security, biotech, medical tech, medicine, vaccines, weapons, just to name a few. That’s why relationships remain so strong.

The actual cost of disrupting supply chains and technology chains is too high for these countries, who are so fast to criticize, to absorb. To satisfy their public, they proclaim condemnation of Israel with symbolic votes and gestures – and leave their governmental pocketbooks intact. It is way too much to expect 100% agreement 100% of the time even from a tried and true partner like the United States. Disagreements are natural. Commerce and exchanges continue.

Israel is expanding international recognition, building stronger and stronger ties with countries around the globe and following through on a strategy that will make for a safer and more prosperous country.

Israel is working hard and making sound decisions. It is all happening despite the public critique. She needs to respond, and she needs to power forward, building better relations. Let her be.

The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS.

This post was originally published on here. 

European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner alleged that Spain’s Ceuta border crisis was fueled by criminal smuggling networks and disinformation on social media after an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers about the incident on Tuesday.

He declined to say whether Morocco bore any responsibility, but praised Rabat’s cooperation with Spanish authorities on returns.

“There is an ongoing investigation of the matter (Morocco’s role in the massive break) in Spain. So I … can’t actually comment on that any further but there was of course some disinformation by the smugglers and the human traffickers, that’s what we know for sure,” he said.

EU interior ministers called for tougher action against migrant smuggling networks and stronger returns policies after about 72,000 migrants entered Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta last week, triggering alarm across the bloc.

The ministers also urged closer cooperation with countries outside the European Union to curb irregular migration and prevent a repeat of the surge, which began on Thursday at one of the bloc’s two land borders with Africa, both shared with Morocco.

About 75 migrants died attempting the crossing, with many drowning and others crushed in the chaos.

Ministers discuss closer monitoring of social media to prevent surges

The surge prompted ministers to discuss a range of measures, including better intelligence-sharing, closer monitoring of social media to detect migration surges earlier, and stronger protection of the EU’s external borders.

Some analysts have questioned whether Moroccan authorities turned a blind eye to the crossings, noting previous occasions when Rabat was accused of using migration as political leverage.

The last major surge occurred in May 2021, when Moroccan authorities appeared to relax border controls, a move widely interpreted as retaliation for Spain’s hosting of a Western Sahara independence leader. The territory is disputed, with Morocco claiming sovereignty over it.

Brunner also said the EU was negotiating a strategic comprehensive partnership agreement with Morocco.

The EU has increasingly relied on migration agreements with North African countries to curb irregular arrivals, but critics say the approach leaves the bloc vulnerable to pressure from transit countries that can ease, or threaten to ease, border controls in pursuit of political or economic concessions.

Migration has been one of the EU’s most divisive political issues since a 2015-16 crisis, when more than a million refugees and migrants, many fleeing war in Syria, arrived in Europe.

The influx boosted support for anti-immigration and far-right parties across the bloc and intensified years of disputes over border controls, asylum rules and burden-sharing.

Morocco said on Sunday that recent mass crossings into Ceuta and another Spanish enclave, Melilla, were fueled by misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks and misinterpretations of a Spanish court ruling.

Most migrants who crossed the border barrier found neither food nor shelter, and later returned to Morocco.

Nevertheless, Italy suspended passport-free Schengen travel arrangements with Spain for a month, even though they do not apply to Ceuta, while 22 of the EU’s 27 member states urged coordinated action to strengthen the bloc’s external borders.

Denmark, Italy call for tougher migration measures

Denmark and Italy used the emergency talks to press for tougher migration measures, according to government statements.

Danish Immigration Minister Morten Bodskov called for increased EU funding for border security, saying: “We will not accept a repeat of the situation in 2015.”

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi urged the bloc to adopt “new hub models for the external processing of asylum procedures and for returns in safe third countries.”

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is seeking an EU emergency migration mechanism that would allow accelerated procedures and, in exceptional circumstances, the temporary suspension of asylum registrations during sudden mass arrivals, he wrote in a Politico opinion piece published on Tuesday.

Lost amid the political debate are the migrants themselves, many fleeing poverty, conflict or instability and risking dangerous journeys in search of safety or opportunity.

This post was originally published on here. 

European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner alleged that Spain’s Ceuta border crisis was fueled by criminal smuggling networks and disinformation on social media after an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers about the incident on Tuesday.

He declined to say whether Morocco bore any responsibility, but praised Rabat’s cooperation with Spanish authorities on returns.

“There is an ongoing investigation of the matter (Morocco’s role in the massive break) in Spain. So I … can’t actually comment on that any further but there was of course some disinformation by the smugglers and the human traffickers, that’s what we know for sure,” he said.

EU interior ministers called for tougher action against migrant smuggling networks and stronger returns policies after about 72,000 migrants entered Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta last week, triggering alarm across the bloc.

The ministers also urged closer cooperation with countries outside the European Union to curb irregular migration and prevent a repeat of the surge, which began on Thursday at one of the bloc’s two land borders with Africa, both shared with Morocco.

About 75 migrants died attempting the crossing, with many drowning and others crushed in the chaos.

Ministers discuss closer monitoring of social media to prevent surges

The surge prompted ministers to discuss a range of measures, including better intelligence-sharing, closer monitoring of social media to detect migration surges earlier, and stronger protection of the EU’s external borders.

Some analysts have questioned whether Moroccan authorities turned a blind eye to the crossings, noting previous occasions when Rabat was accused of using migration as political leverage.

The last major surge occurred in May 2021, when Moroccan authorities appeared to relax border controls, a move widely interpreted as retaliation for Spain’s hosting of a Western Sahara independence leader. The territory is disputed, with Morocco claiming sovereignty over it.

Brunner also said the EU was negotiating a strategic comprehensive partnership agreement with Morocco.

The EU has increasingly relied on migration agreements with North African countries to curb irregular arrivals, but critics say the approach leaves the bloc vulnerable to pressure from transit countries that can ease, or threaten to ease, border controls in pursuit of political or economic concessions.

Migration has been one of the EU’s most divisive political issues since a 2015-16 crisis, when more than a million refugees and migrants, many fleeing war in Syria, arrived in Europe.

The influx boosted support for anti-immigration and far-right parties across the bloc and intensified years of disputes over border controls, asylum rules and burden-sharing.

Morocco said on Sunday that recent mass crossings into Ceuta and another Spanish enclave, Melilla, were fueled by misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks and misinterpretations of a Spanish court ruling.

Most migrants who crossed the border barrier found neither food nor shelter, and later returned to Morocco.

Nevertheless, Italy suspended passport-free Schengen travel arrangements with Spain for a month, even though they do not apply to Ceuta, while 22 of the EU’s 27 member states urged coordinated action to strengthen the bloc’s external borders.

Denmark, Italy call for tougher migration measures

Denmark and Italy used the emergency talks to press for tougher migration measures, according to government statements.

Danish Immigration Minister Morten Bodskov called for increased EU funding for border security, saying: “We will not accept a repeat of the situation in 2015.”

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi urged the bloc to adopt “new hub models for the external processing of asylum procedures and for returns in safe third countries.”

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is seeking an EU emergency migration mechanism that would allow accelerated procedures and, in exceptional circumstances, the temporary suspension of asylum registrations during sudden mass arrivals, he wrote in a Politico opinion piece published on Tuesday.

Lost amid the political debate are the migrants themselves, many fleeing poverty, conflict or instability and risking dangerous journeys in search of safety or opportunity.

This post was originally published on here. 

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismissed conspiracy theories that claim Israel and the US are behind the migrant crisis at the Moroccan-Spanish border in Ceuta during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan broadcast on Monday.

Morgan cited social media posts, including those circulated by Spanish Hollywood star Javier Bardem, which have blamed Israel for “weakening and destabilizing Spain” by weaponizing the “Western far Right to turn migration into a weapon against Muslims.”

‘He needs to stick to reading scripts… it’s RIDICULOUS!’

Ambassador Mike Huckabee responds after actor Javier Bardem reshared conspiracy theories alleging that Israel “benefits” from a Spain-Morocco migrant crisis.

📺 https://t.co/NmaTrNfwMG@piersmorgan | @GovMikeHuckabee pic.twitter.com/gI8AbON6ph

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) August 3, 2026

“It sounds like Bardem needs to stick to reading a script that someone else wrote,” Huckabee retorted.

“It’s ridiculous to say that somehow this is a US-Israel conspiracy and that’s why all those young men flooded to the coast; it’s nonsense,” he added.

“Everything that seems to happen on earth, somebody has this nutty idea that it must be Israel and/or the US who would be behind it. Why don’t you just accept the fact that there were these people who were wanting to get to that part of Spain?” he asked.

Morgan cited Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, who said that Spain never missed an opportunity to lecture Israel, but needs to explain why it is maintaining colonial enclaves in Africa, asking if Huckabee agrees.

Answering affirmatively, Huckabee said he “thought it was a pretty good observation,” that raised “valid questions.”

Huckabee: Hamas are ‘proud terrorists’

Morgan and Huckabee also discussed other topics during their interview, including the process to disarm Hamas terrorists, and commenting on the interview Morgan had with Hamas spokesperson Ghazi Hamad, which preceded Huckabee’s interview within the same broadcast.

Morgan asked the ambassador if he thinks Israel can do a deal with Hamas, and if there is any point to which someone could trust the terror organization.

Hamas were “proud” of what they did during the October 7 massacre, highlighted by howthey “strapped GoPro cameras to their heads, and videotaped themselves raping, slaughtering, beheading, butchering, massacring women, children, and elderly people… they boasted about it online, in phone calls, on the video tape that they shot… so this guy [Hamad] has zero credibility,” Huckabee said.

“I think that’s very important to understand if there’s any way in which Hamas wants to make a deal, the first thing they have to do is what they said they were going to do last October, and that’s they’re going to disarm and demilitarize. They haven’t done it yet,” he added.

“So when they do, then we can take them a little more seriously. I hope they do. It would be a wonderful gift to the world if Hamas did not have weapons, because if they have them, they’re just nutty enough to want to use them to slaughter people, particularly civilians and innocent people,” he stated.

“They don’t need weapons. They need to disappear and go away,” he said.

Morgan then asked if, in a hypothetical scenario Hamas were to keep its word, could a circumstance exist where the US and Israel accept Hamas as the governing body in the Gaza Strip going forward?

“I don’t think so. The president [Donald Trump] has made it very clear. Regardless of what Israel would say, President Trump said repeatedly that Hamas has no future in Gaza. I think they forfeited the future,” he stated, adding that asking this would be like asking if it would be ok for the Nazis to continue to run Germany after World War II.

“What they should hope for is that they would be given some level of asylum that they could get out of Gaza, disappear, find some place to live anonymously in asylum. But the idea that they’re going to govern Gaza, I don’t think the people in Gaza would tolerate it, much less the US or Israel, or hopefully any other civilized country in the world,” he said.

Huckabee: If Trump resumes strikes on Iran, it will be an overwhelming attack

Morgan cited a conversation he had with Trump, who told the journalist that the president was “ready, locked, and loaded, to launch the biggest bombardment of Iran that the world had seen since World War II.”

Huckabee responded that everyone who works for Trump “trusts his instincts.”

“If, for whatever reason, in having talked to many people in the Gulf countries, and they urged him to give, as John Lennon would so brilliantly say, ‘give peace a chance,’ to give one more round of negotiations an opportunity, and he made that decision. So let’s see if it works. Let’s hope it does,” he added.

“But if it doesn’t, I think the president has also made it very clear that there is the military option, it’s on the table, and if he takes it, it’s not going to be a mild tap. It is going to be overwhelming,” he stated.

Huckabee denies Israel influenced Trump to strike Iran, insists Iran is threat within Western Hemisphere

Huckabee then denied the allegations that Trump’s decisions vis-a-vis striking Iran were guided by Israeli policy or requests from Israeli leadership.

“I was in the Situation Room… I disagree with any narrative that says that the Israelis talked Donald Trump into it. That simply did not happen. Nobody talked him into anything,” Huckabee said.

“The idea that the Israelis came in and sold him something is probably just one of the more preposterous things. It was based on the fact that for over 47 years, Iran has been saying death to America,” he added.

Iran’s goal is to “build a nuclear weapon,” with their first aim being to “destroy Israel,” Huckabee said, but he noted that this is just “the appetizer,” as “their goal is to annihilate America.”

“America is the entree,” he stated.

He also recalled memories of the Islamic revolutionaries storming the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979, when “they frog-marched blindfolded embassy employees across the embassy grounds, held them hostage, 51 of them, for 444 days. I remember it quite well, and I remember the humiliation that we felt in America,” Huckabee said.

“I remember the chanting of death to America, the burning of our flags, and the threats that have never ceased, nor have they ever moderated,” he added.

Huckabee also noted how Iran’s threat is not just a Middle East issue, saying that the regime’s terror proxies are “already in the Western Hemisphere.”

“Hezbollah alone is in 12 Western Hemisphere countries. The idea that this is some unique Middle East issue, or it’s only an Iranian-Israeli issue, is utter nonsense,” Huckabee said.

“These people have ambitions, not necessarily to rule the world, but to destroy every part of it that does not agree with their radical Shia philosophy,” he added.

Huckabee concerned about global propaganda campaign spreading ‘demonstrably false’ perceptions of Israel, Jews

Morgan also asked Huckabee about perceptions of Israel, both within the US and on the global stage.

Morgan said that Israel’s global popularity has “plummeted” in the last two years, and that “nearly two-thirds of Americans have a negative view of Israel, [and] where half the country thinks [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu should be arrested when he comes to the US.”

The broadcaster asked if Huckabee was worried about these developments.

“It’s unfair, unfounded, it concerns me a great deal,” Huckabee responded.

“Obviously there’s an enormous propaganda campaign that is aimed against Israel, and against the Jewish people. And I think that’s really disturbing to me,” Huckabee added.

“They are up against a multi-billion dollar propaganda campaign, and a lot of money being spent in the US on university campuses, on social media, the bots are everywhere, painting a picture of the Jewish people as a whole, and the Israelis specifically, that is simply, absolutely, unfounded,” he continued.

“It is appalling to me, the reputation that has been thrust upon them, and it is ridiculously and horribly unfounded. I just want the truth to be told. Israelis aren’t perfect, Jewish people aren’t perfect, none of us are, but the blood libels that are thrown upon them should be really something that every civilized, every thoughtful, every intellectually capable person, every knowledgeable person would say, say what you wan about the Israelis, about the Jewish people, but these things that are being said, they’re just not true, and they’re demonstrably untrue,” Huckabee concluded.

This post was originally published on here. 

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismissed conspiracy theories that claim Israel and the US are behind the migrant crisis at the Moroccan-Spanish border in Ceuta during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan broadcast on Monday.

Morgan cited social media posts, including those circulated by Spanish Hollywood star Javier Bardem, which have blamed Israel for “weakening and destabilizing Spain” by weaponizing the “Western far Right to turn migration into a weapon against Muslims.”

‘He needs to stick to reading scripts… it’s RIDICULOUS!’

Ambassador Mike Huckabee responds after actor Javier Bardem reshared conspiracy theories alleging that Israel “benefits” from a Spain-Morocco migrant crisis.

📺 https://t.co/NmaTrNfwMG@piersmorgan | @GovMikeHuckabee pic.twitter.com/gI8AbON6ph

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) August 3, 2026

“It sounds like Bardem needs to stick to reading a script that someone else wrote,” Huckabee retorted.

“It’s ridiculous to say that somehow this is a US-Israel conspiracy and that’s why all those young men flooded to the coast; it’s nonsense,” he added.

“Everything that seems to happen on earth, somebody has this nutty idea that it must be Israel and/or the US who would be behind it. Why don’t you just accept the fact that there were these people who were wanting to get to that part of Spain?” he asked.

Morgan cited Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, who said that Spain never missed an opportunity to lecture Israel, but needs to explain why it is maintaining colonial enclaves in Africa, asking if Huckabee agrees.

Answering affirmatively, Huckabee said he “thought it was a pretty good observation,” that raised “valid questions.”

Huckabee: Hamas are ‘proud terrorists’

Morgan and Huckabee also discussed other topics during their interview, including the process to disarm Hamas terrorists, and commenting on the interview Morgan had with Hamas spokesperson Ghazi Hamad, which preceded Huckabee’s interview within the same broadcast.

Morgan asked the ambassador if he thinks Israel can do a deal with Hamas, and if there is any point to which someone could trust the terror organization.

Hamas were “proud” of what they did during the October 7 massacre, highlighted by howthey “strapped GoPro cameras to their heads, and videotaped themselves raping, slaughtering, beheading, butchering, massacring women, children, and elderly people… they boasted about it online, in phone calls, on the video tape that they shot… so this guy [Hamad] has zero credibility,” Huckabee said.

“I think that’s very important to understand if there’s any way in which Hamas wants to make a deal, the first thing they have to do is what they said they were going to do last October, and that’s they’re going to disarm and demilitarize. They haven’t done it yet,” he added.

“So when they do, then we can take them a little more seriously. I hope they do. It would be a wonderful gift to the world if Hamas did not have weapons, because if they have them, they’re just nutty enough to want to use them to slaughter people, particularly civilians and innocent people,” he stated.

“They don’t need weapons. They need to disappear and go away,” he said.

Morgan then asked if, in a hypothetical scenario Hamas were to keep its word, could a circumstance exist where the US and Israel accept Hamas as the governing body in the Gaza Strip going forward?

“I don’t think so. The president [Donald Trump] has made it very clear. Regardless of what Israel would say, President Trump said repeatedly that Hamas has no future in Gaza. I think they forfeited the future,” he stated, adding that asking this would be like asking if it would be ok for the Nazis to continue to run Germany after World War II.

“What they should hope for is that they would be given some level of asylum that they could get out of Gaza, disappear, find some place to live anonymously in asylum. But the idea that they’re going to govern Gaza, I don’t think the people in Gaza would tolerate it, much less the US or Israel, or hopefully any other civilized country in the world,” he said.

Huckabee: If Trump resumes strikes on Iran, it will be an overwhelming attack

Morgan cited a conversation he had with Trump, who told the journalist that the president was “ready, locked, and loaded, to launch the biggest bombardment of Iran that the world had seen since World War II.”

Huckabee responded that everyone who works for Trump “trusts his instincts.”

“If, for whatever reason, in having talked to many people in the Gulf countries, and they urged him to give, as John Lennon would so brilliantly say, ‘give peace a chance,’ to give one more round of negotiations an opportunity, and he made that decision. So let’s see if it works. Let’s hope it does,” he added.

“But if it doesn’t, I think the president has also made it very clear that there is the military option, it’s on the table, and if he takes it, it’s not going to be a mild tap. It is going to be overwhelming,” he stated.

Huckabee denies Israel influenced Trump to strike Iran, insists Iran is threat within Western Hemisphere

Huckabee then denied the allegations that Trump’s decisions vis-a-vis striking Iran were guided by Israeli policy or requests from Israeli leadership.

“I was in the Situation Room… I disagree with any narrative that says that the Israelis talked Donald Trump into it. That simply did not happen. Nobody talked him into anything,” Huckabee said.

“The idea that the Israelis came in and sold him something is probably just one of the more preposterous things. It was based on the fact that for over 47 years, Iran has been saying death to America,” he added.

Iran’s goal is to “build a nuclear weapon,” with their first aim being to “destroy Israel,” Huckabee said, but he noted that this is just “the appetizer,” as “their goal is to annihilate America.”

“America is the entree,” he stated.

He also recalled memories of the Islamic revolutionaries storming the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979, when “they frog-marched blindfolded embassy employees across the embassy grounds, held them hostage, 51 of them, for 444 days. I remember it quite well, and I remember the humiliation that we felt in America,” Huckabee said.

“I remember the chanting of death to America, the burning of our flags, and the threats that have never ceased, nor have they ever moderated,” he added.

Huckabee also noted how Iran’s threat is not just a Middle East issue, saying that the regime’s terror proxies are “already in the Western Hemisphere.”

“Hezbollah alone is in 12 Western Hemisphere countries. The idea that this is some unique Middle East issue, or it’s only an Iranian-Israeli issue, is utter nonsense,” Huckabee said.

“These people have ambitions, not necessarily to rule the world, but to destroy every part of it that does not agree with their radical Shia philosophy,” he added.

Huckabee concerned about global propaganda campaign spreading ‘demonstrably false’ perceptions of Israel, Jews

Morgan also asked Huckabee about perceptions of Israel, both within the US and on the global stage.

Morgan said that Israel’s global popularity has “plummeted” in the last two years, and that “nearly two-thirds of Americans have a negative view of Israel, [and] where half the country thinks [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu should be arrested when he comes to the US.”

The broadcaster asked if Huckabee was worried about these developments.

“It’s unfair, unfounded, it concerns me a great deal,” Huckabee responded.

“Obviously there’s an enormous propaganda campaign that is aimed against Israel, and against the Jewish people. And I think that’s really disturbing to me,” Huckabee added.

“They are up against a multi-billion dollar propaganda campaign, and a lot of money being spent in the US on university campuses, on social media, the bots are everywhere, painting a picture of the Jewish people as a whole, and the Israelis specifically, that is simply, absolutely, unfounded,” he continued.

“It is appalling to me, the reputation that has been thrust upon them, and it is ridiculously and horribly unfounded. I just want the truth to be told. Israelis aren’t perfect, Jewish people aren’t perfect, none of us are, but the blood libels that are thrown upon them should be really something that every civilized, every thoughtful, every intellectually capable person, every knowledgeable person would say, say what you wan about the Israelis, about the Jewish people, but these things that are being said, they’re just not true, and they’re demonstrably untrue,” Huckabee concluded.

This post was originally published on here. 

Ireland’s new government jet, which cost the republic €53m, was purchased without FalconEye, a technology co-developed by Dassault Falcon and Israeli defense giant Elbit Systems, that is essential for the aircraft to land in foggy weather, local media reported on Tuesday.

FalconEye sits on the plane’s nose and helps it to land in foggy weather, or in other weather conditions that limit visibility, Irish outlet The Journal noted.

According to Dassault Falcon’s official website, it is “an advanced combined vision system (CVS) developed by Dassault Aviation in partnership with Elbit Systems. Designed for executive and military jets, it merges enhanced real-world video (EVS) with database-driven synthetic terrain mapping (SVS) to provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness in zero-visibility conditions like fog, snow, or darkness.”

Dublin’s Defense Department denied the issue, saying the new aircraft has “no current limits” on its operational capability.

The jet, a Dassault Falcon 6X, is primarily used to transport the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister), as well as other government ministers and officials, when traveling on official state business.

The new jet was delivered in December 2025, and can carry 14 passengers. It replaced the government’s Lear Jet, and is operated by the Irish Air Corps (the military’s air force).

The FalconEye provides “the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport,” former IAC pilot Kevin Phipps was cited by The Journal as saying.

Irish PM promises not to purchase equipment featuring Israeli technology

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, in 2024 when serving as foreign minister, said that Ireland would not purchase equipment that features Israeli-made products, Irish media cited.

Despite this, The Journal found that four helicopters belonging to the IAC were delivered with flight systems co-developed by Elbit and Airbus, as “the craft cannot be built without them.”

Additionally, a maritime patrol craft was delivered with an Israeli-made radar, The Journal added.

This post was originally published on here. 

Avi Nesher’s latest film, Our Loves, will continue its international journey at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the largest film festival in North America and one of the most prestigious in the world, considered to be an important launching pad for movies.

The film, which deals with characters caught in the October 7 massacre, will be screened in TIFF’s Centerpiece section, which is devoted to outstanding films from around the world that have already received international recognition. Industry insiders praised TIFF for choosing to spotlight an Israeli film in such a divisive time. 

It was announced recently that international entertainment companies FOX Entertainment Studios and Access Entertainment have signed on as co-producers. Access Entertainment has produced Oscar-winning movies such as The Zone of Interest and Conclave.

The film was originally produced by United King Films and SIPUR, an Israel-based international entertainment studio, along with Artomas Communications and Zoa Films.

The addition of these international partners is a significant step in breaking through an unofficial but real international boycott of Israeli cinema, particularly for films that tell an explicitly Israeli story, in Hebrew.

The announcement came shortly after this year’s Ophir Awards nominations were announced, with Our Loves receiving 12 nominations, including best picture, director, screenplay, cinematography, editing, and original music.

Our Loves is Nesher’s 21st film. One of the most popular and prominent filmmakers in Israeli cinema, Nesher’s films include The Troupe (1978), Turn Left at the End of the World (2004), and The Matchmaker (2010).

Nesher’s films often take inspiration from real life

He has frequently drawn inspiration from real events in his work, as he did in Image of Victory (2021), a movie about Jews and Egyptians during the War of Independence.

Our Loves follows seven characters whose lives become intertwined. Each of the seven is trapped in a dysfunctional relationship, and they all have one thing in common: their absolute belief that October 6, the day their relationships ended, was the worst day of their lives.

The following day, as the events of October 7 force them into desperate efforts to survive, previously hidden truths and insights about their pasts and futures begin to emerge.

The film stars leading Israeli actors Shalom Michaelshwilli, Magi Azarzar, Yaniv Biton, Noa Cohen, Hadas Yaron, Evelin Hagoel, Lena Fraifeld, Chancela Mongoza, Kim Or Azulay, Lev Leib Levin, Naomi Aharoni-Gal (aka Nunu), Lior Miller, Elad Turgeman, Amir Banai, Nevo Katan, and Itamar Pinto, alongside newcomer Daniel Gimpel.

“Our Loves is perhaps the most significant opportunity Israel has been given to present the human story of October 7 to the world,” said SIPUR CEO Emilio Schenker.

“The film’s extraordinary power has succeeded in breaking through the walls of the infuriating boycott directed against

Israeli cinema. Now, the story that belongs to all of us, from the most painful and difficult day in the country’s history, will be presented on one of the world’s most important and respected cinematic stages.”

Boycott of Israeli media is ‘gradually crumbling’

Liron Edery, United King Films’ head of marketing and distribution, said the Toronto selection showed that opposition to Israeli cinema was beginning to weaken.

“We are pleased to see that the boycott of Israeli cinema is gradually crumbling and that Israeli films continue to receive a platform at the world’s most important festivals because of their quality and power,” she said.

“For us, the selection of Our Loves for the Toronto Film Festival is a significant statement. This is a film that tells the Israeli story and what we experienced on that terrible day. But no less importantly, it is a film about the possibility of repair, healing, and change, and about the strength to grow even out of the greatest fracture,” she continued.

Edery said the producers were proud of Nesher, the creative team, and all the partners involved in the film.

“We are convinced that the film will also touch international audiences,” she said. “Ultimately, good cinema succeeds in crossing borders, languages, and prejudices, and we believe that this is exactly what Our Loves will do.”

At a panel held during the Jerusalem Film Festival last month, Our Loves was presented as a case study in overcoming the international boycott of Israeli film. Access Entertainment president Danny Cohen, a former director of BBC Television, spoke at the panel of the film’s awards prospects.

“I genuinely believe it has Academy Award potential,” said Cohen, speaking via Zoom at the event at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. “I’ve worked on a number of Oscar campaigns. I think Avi’s work deserves that platform. And I hope the Israeli Academy selects this film as Israel’s submission for Best International Feature.”

The involvement of major figures in the international entertainment industry, including FOX Entertainment Studios and Access Entertainment, headed by Len Blavatnik and Cohen, is expected to give the film an opportunity to reach millions of viewers around the world.

The producers include Schenker and Gideon Tadmor for SIPUR; Moshe Edery and Leon Edery for United King Films; and Cohen for Access Entertainment. The executive producers include Fernando Szew for FOX Entertainment Studios; Jim Berk and Sheldon Rabinowitz for Moriah Media; and Shari Redstone for SIPUR.

This post was originally published on here. 

Avi Nesher’s latest film, Our Loves, will continue its international journey at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the largest film festival in North America and one of the most prestigious in the world, considered to be an important launching pad for movies.

The film, which deals with characters caught in the October 7 massacre, will be screened in TIFF’s Centerpiece section, which is devoted to outstanding films from around the world that have already received international recognition. Industry insiders praised TIFF for choosing to spotlight an Israeli film in such a divisive time. 

It was announced recently that international entertainment companies FOX Entertainment Studios and Access Entertainment have signed on as co-producers. Access Entertainment has produced Oscar-winning movies such as The Zone of Interest and Conclave.

The film was originally produced by United King Films and SIPUR, an Israel-based international entertainment studio, along with Artomas Communications and Zoa Films.

The addition of these international partners is a significant step in breaking through an unofficial but real international boycott of Israeli cinema, particularly for films that tell an explicitly Israeli story, in Hebrew.

The announcement came shortly after this year’s Ophir Awards nominations were announced, with Our Loves receiving 12 nominations, including best picture, director, screenplay, cinematography, editing, and original music.

Our Loves is Nesher’s 21st film. One of the most popular and prominent filmmakers in Israeli cinema, Nesher’s films include The Troupe (1978), Turn Left at the End of the World (2004), and The Matchmaker (2010).

Nesher’s films often take inspiration from real life

He has frequently drawn inspiration from real events in his work, as he did in Image of Victory (2021), a movie about Jews and Egyptians during the War of Independence.

Our Loves follows seven characters whose lives become intertwined. Each of the seven is trapped in a dysfunctional relationship, and they all have one thing in common: their absolute belief that October 6, the day their relationships ended, was the worst day of their lives.

The following day, as the events of October 7 force them into desperate efforts to survive, previously hidden truths and insights about their pasts and futures begin to emerge.

The film stars leading Israeli actors Shalom Michaelshwilli, Magi Azarzar, Yaniv Biton, Noa Cohen, Hadas Yaron, Evelin Hagoel, Lena Fraifeld, Chancela Mongoza, Kim Or Azulay, Lev Leib Levin, Naomi Aharoni-Gal (aka Nunu), Lior Miller, Elad Turgeman, Amir Banai, Nevo Katan, and Itamar Pinto, alongside newcomer Daniel Gimpel.

“Our Loves is perhaps the most significant opportunity Israel has been given to present the human story of October 7 to the world,” said SIPUR CEO Emilio Schenker.

“The film’s extraordinary power has succeeded in breaking through the walls of the infuriating boycott directed against

Israeli cinema. Now, the story that belongs to all of us, from the most painful and difficult day in the country’s history, will be presented on one of the world’s most important and respected cinematic stages.”

Boycott of Israeli media is ‘gradually crumbling’

Liron Edery, United King Films’ head of marketing and distribution, said the Toronto selection showed that opposition to Israeli cinema was beginning to weaken.

“We are pleased to see that the boycott of Israeli cinema is gradually crumbling and that Israeli films continue to receive a platform at the world’s most important festivals because of their quality and power,” she said.

“For us, the selection of Our Loves for the Toronto Film Festival is a significant statement. This is a film that tells the Israeli story and what we experienced on that terrible day. But no less importantly, it is a film about the possibility of repair, healing, and change, and about the strength to grow even out of the greatest fracture,” she continued.

Edery said the producers were proud of Nesher, the creative team, and all the partners involved in the film.

“We are convinced that the film will also touch international audiences,” she said. “Ultimately, good cinema succeeds in crossing borders, languages, and prejudices, and we believe that this is exactly what Our Loves will do.”

At a panel held during the Jerusalem Film Festival last month, Our Loves was presented as a case study in overcoming the international boycott of Israeli film. Access Entertainment president Danny Cohen, a former director of BBC Television, spoke at the panel of the film’s awards prospects.

“I genuinely believe it has Academy Award potential,” said Cohen, speaking via Zoom at the event at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. “I’ve worked on a number of Oscar campaigns. I think Avi’s work deserves that platform. And I hope the Israeli Academy selects this film as Israel’s submission for Best International Feature.”

The involvement of major figures in the international entertainment industry, including FOX Entertainment Studios and Access Entertainment, headed by Len Blavatnik and Cohen, is expected to give the film an opportunity to reach millions of viewers around the world.

The producers include Schenker and Gideon Tadmor for SIPUR; Moshe Edery and Leon Edery for United King Films; and Cohen for Access Entertainment. The executive producers include Fernando Szew for FOX Entertainment Studios; Jim Berk and Sheldon Rabinowitz for Moriah Media; and Shari Redstone for SIPUR.

This post was originally published on here. 

The steering committee on Tuesday approved the allocation of NIS 113 million to develop heritage sites for over 70 heritage sites across the West Bank as part of an initiative proposed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The funding is set to advance several projects meant to strengthen tourism in the region, including the preservation of heritage sites, making them accessible to the public, rescue excavations, and the development of infrastructure.

Smotrich’s proposal follows extensive work regarding heritage sites in the West Bank done by the Defense Ministry’s Settlement Administration, in cooperation with the Finance Ministry and the Civil Administration’s Archaeology Unit.

The archaeology unit is responsible for the preservation, management, and development of antiquities and archaeological sites in the West Bank, as well as preventing looting, antiquities smuggling, and illegal excavations in the region.

“This is a Zionist act of the highest order. A people without a past has no future,” said Smotrich of the initiative, adding that through the joint initiative, “we are advancing a historic and significant initiative to strengthen heritage sites, preserve the history of the Jewish people, and deepen our connection to the Land of Israel.”

West Bank home to thousands of archaeological, heritage sites

West Bank heritage sites are a “national asset of the highest order” that have been neglected for many years, explained Smotrich. 

“Some of the sites did not receive sufficient investment, and we are now working to change that, to preserve, develop, and make them accessible to all Israeli citizens and visitors from around the world,” he said.

The West Bank is home to over 2,600 archaeological and heritage sites, including the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, the Qumran Caves in the Judean Desert, and Sebastia. 

Several Christian and Muslim archaeological sites, including the Church of the Nativity, are also located in the West Bank.

Previous Israeli attempts to advance proposals regarding heritage and archaeological sites in the West Bank have been met with international condemnation, such as the attempt to pass a bill to form a Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority.

Gov’t approves 250m. NIS plan to preserve West Bank heritage sites

Back in May, the government approved a NIS 250 million plan to preserve heritage and antiquities sites across the West Bank, Jordan Valley, and the Judean Desert.

The plan was announced in a joint statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Finance Ministry, the Tourism Ministry, the Heritage Ministry, and the National Missions Ministry.

New heritage centers, set to serve as research and educational facilities and visitor centers, will be constructed at sites in these areas in order to bolster “the connection of the Israeli public to the Jewish people’s historic assets in the region.”

Additionally, a multi-year plan worth tens of millions of shekels would be put in motion to upgrade existing infrastructure and hopefully turn the sites into major tourist destinations.

The plan also seeks to intensify efforts to prevent the looting and destruction of antiquities in the region.

“There is a need to create a permanent, regulated civilian and tourist presence that serves as a meaningful deterrent against looting and destruction of antiquities, as well as strengthening the public’s connection to the historical identity of the region,” the statement explained.

This post was originally published on here. 

Blue Bird Airways will expand its Tel Aviv-Amsterdam service to four weekly flights beginning August 10, as airlines add capacity during one of the busiest periods of the Israeli travel season.

The Greek carrier will operate the route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. One-way fares will begin at €164, according to the company.

The additional flight comes as Ben-Gurion Airport prepares for heavy traffic throughout August. Some 2.6 million passengers are expected to pass through the airport during the month, with daily traffic projected to reach between 90,000 and 95,000 passengers on most weekdays. Five dates in August are expected to see approximately 100,000 travelers.

“We are seeing a steady increase in demand for flights to Amsterdam from both leisure and business travelers,” said Arnon Englender, one of Blue Bird Airways’ owners.

“Adding a fourth weekly flight allows us to better meet this growing demand while offering our customers greater flexibility and more convenient travel options,” he said.

The flight from Israel to Amsterdam takes approximately five and a half hours, according to Blue Bird. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is connected to the city center by trains and buses, with the journey generally taking about 20 minutes.

Amsterdam expansion part of broad increase Blue Bird operations

The Amsterdam expansion is part of a broader increase in Blue Bird’s operations from Israel. In May, the airline announced three additional summer routes from Tel Aviv to Burgas in Bulgaria, Chania in Crete, and the Greek island of Kos.

Blue Bird is owned by the Israeli tourism group Kavei Hufsha, or Holiday Lines, which acquired the Greek airline in 2016. The group, owned by Englender and Ami Cohen, also owns Cypriot carrier TUS Airways and the Israeli tourism websites Daka 90 and Blik Tourism.

The airline has increased its presence at Ben-Gurion Airport during the prolonged instability affecting Israel’s aviation market. Blue Bird and TUS continued operating for much of the period in which numerous international airlines suspended their Israel services.

Blue Bird was also among the first foreign airlines to return after commercial aviation was sharply curtailed following the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war on February 28. It resumed Tel Aviv-Athens flights in April, initially operating daily service in each direction.

The fourth Amsterdam flight gives Israeli travelers another option on a major European route as demand for summer travel continues to recover and foreign-airline activity at Ben-Gurion Airport gradually expands.

This post was originally published on here. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that there has been progress made in discussions with Iran and Oman on getting more ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but no final agreement has been reached.

“There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly,” Rubio told reporters at the State Department.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Qatar and Pakistan are working with Oman to facilitate communication between Iran and the US.

Advisor to Qatar’s Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, said during a briefing on Tuesday that the goal of the regional effort is to soothe tensions enough to allow for direct US-Iran dialogue to continue. 

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

An Israeli tourist and military reservist was harassed and physically attacked at a café on Siargao Island in the Philippines on Monday, according to the Diaspora Ministry. 

The incident began when a Spanish tourist approached the Israeli tourist and asked where he was from. According to the ministry, upon learning that the man was from Israel, the suspect began shouting accusations such as “baby killer” and “genocide” while threatening to kill him. 

Video footage of the incident circulating on social media showed the escalating confrontation outside the café at night.

The report noted that the Israeli reservist attempted to de-escalate the situation and avoid a physical confrontation, warning the attacker that he was being recorded and asking him to step away. Despite these warnings, the Spanish tourist threw the first punch and initiated a physical incident. 

Although physically larger, the attacker was overpowered by the Israeli reservist during the subsequent struggle. The video footage showed the reservist pinning the attacker and restraining him on the floor. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jewish Breaking News (@jewishbreakingnews)

Israeli reservist called “baby killer” by Spanish tourist in Thailand

Although physically larger, the attacker was overpowered by the Israeli reservist during the subsequent struggle. The video footage showed the reservist pinning the attacker and restraining him on the floor. 

During the altercation, the video captured the attacker shouting demands in English, telling the reservist to “stop it” and asking: “Do you understand what I’m saying?” 

The reservist maintained control and responded by telling him: “If you don’t understand what I’m saying, I will kill you.”

Local police responded to the scene and took the Spanish tourist into custody, according to the ministry. Law enforcement ultimately ruled in favor of the Israeli tourist and ordered the attacker to pay financial compensation to cover the victim’s medical expenses for a broken finger sustained during the incident, which later required surgery in Thailand. 

The ministry’s report also noted that the attacker was recorded providing a formal video apology.

This post was originally published on here. 

An exhibition of political cartoons about the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox from military service was vandalized on Monday ahead of the opening of the Animix International Animation, Cartoon and Comics Festival at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque.

The festival, which opened on Tuesday, traditionally addresses major social issues through animation and political cartoons. One of this year’s featured exhibitions, titled “The Black Army,” focuses on haredi (ultra-Orthodox) opposition to military conscription and includes works by many of Israel’s leading cartoonists.

According to the festival organizers, while the exhibition was being installed in the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on Monday, a young man wearing a kippah confronted organizers and Tel Aviv Cinematheque CEO Tomer Cohen. They said he tore down and damaged parts of the exhibition before attempting to flee.

Festival staff and Cohen reportedly pursued him for about an hour while waiting for police, who arrived only after the suspect escaped in a taxi.

The organizers said they worked to restore the damaged exhibition, which opened as scheduled on Tuesday and which runs until August 8.

Cartoon festival is working to repair damaged exhibition

“This is the first time in the festival’s 26-year history that something like this has happened,” said Animix artistic director Nissim (Nusko) Hezkiyahu. “The festival has always addressed social and political issues, and there is no issue more divisive in Israeli society today than military conscription.

“We are sorry that extremists are trying to undermine freedom of expression, but this act will not deter us. On the contrary, it only underscores the importance of the exhibition. It always starts with one extremist who cannot tolerate free expression and illustration, and from there it escalates.”

“Fortunately, our team is already repairing the exhibition, and it is expected to open tomorrow as planned. We invite everyone to come. Vandals, we’ve had enough of you,” he added

Several of the cartoonists whose work appears in the exhibit drew cartoons of their own in response. 

This post was originally published on here. 

Israeli cybersecurity company Vega announced on Tuesday the launch of Detection Skills, an open standard designed to help security teams capture, share, and automate the reasoning used by experienced defenders to detect and investigate cyber threats.

The framework, which is available to companies regardless of whether they use Vega’s products, combines threat detection, alert triage, investigation, and continuous improvement into reusable AI-powered workflows.

Vega publicly released the framework through DetectionSkills.io and GitHub ahead of Black Hat USA 2026 in Las Vegas, where the company is demonstrating the technology.

Traditional cybersecurity systems have generally relied on detection rules that identify previously recognized patterns of malicious activity. Vega said this approach has become harder to maintain as artificial intelligence allows attackers to develop and alter their techniques more rapidly.

Detection Skills is intended to document both the conditions that should trigger an alert and the process that an experienced cyber defense engineer would follow to determine whether the alert represents a genuine threat.

New Vega standard helps security teams automate threat detection

Each “skill” can specify what evidence an AI system should examine, which activity should be escalated, and when an alert can be dismissed. The resulting investigation includes the evidence collected and an explanation of how the system reached its conclusions.

“AI-driven adversaries bypass static rules in every legacy SIEM, and no rule catches an attack it has never seen,” Vega co-founder and chief technology officer Eli Rozen said.

“Detection Skills answer with scaled AI reasoning that brings the judgment of your best cyber defense engineers to every alert, in real time,” he added. “We made the standard open to ensure the whole industry rises with it: As attacks scale, defense compounds.”

Vega said the framework does not make changes to an organization’s systems without human approval. Security engineers retain access to the AI’s reasoning, including the information it reviewed and the basis for its decisions.

The framework was built on the Agent Skills concept originally developed by artificial intelligence company Anthropic and adapted specifically for cybersecurity operations.

Vega compared the initiative to Sigma, an open format widely used to describe security detection rules. Detection Skills is intended to provide a similar common language for AI-assisted detection, triage, and investigation.

The initial release includes an Agentic Detection Library containing more than 35 skills developed by Vega Research. It also provides a sandbox where security teams can build, test, and export their own standards-compliant skills.

The framework is designed to work with existing cybersecurity infrastructure, including traditional security information and event management platforms, cloud storage systems, and data lakes. Vega said companies can adopt it without replacing their current security products or moving their data to a centralized system.

The Vega Cyber Defense Platform serves as the reference implementation of the open standard. The platform is built on Vega’s Security Analytics Mesh technology, which allows detection and investigation processes to run directly on data stored in different systems.

Rushmere Fernandes, deputy chief information security officer at Peloton, said the company had begun using the framework to encode its own internal alert-triage procedures.

“Every skill we ship gives us more explicit control over what the AI checks, escalates, and dismisses,” Fernandes said. “The result is a queue we trust: fewer false positives, and every verdict arrives with its reasoning attached.”

Shawn McGhee, chief information security officer at Exemplar Luxury Group, said the system could help retailers maintain their cybersecurity operations during periods of unusually high customer activity.

“Retail runs on peak moments, and attackers know exactly when those are,” McGhee said. “The expertise is written down, it runs on every alert, and it holds up when volume spikes.”

Lamont Orange, chief information security and trust officer at Israeli data-security company Cyera, said an open and transparent standard could help the cybersecurity industry respond collectively to increasingly capable attackers.

“An open standard for how detection decisions get made – auditable, transparent, shared – is how trust gets built at industry scale,” Orange said.

Vega was founded in 2024 and has raised $185 million from investors including Accel, Cyberstarts, Redpoint, and CRV. The company said its customers include Fortune 200 corporations, international banks, and healthcare providers.

Vega is presenting Detection Skills at Booth 3452 during Black Hat USA 2026.

This post was originally published on here. 

The US Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts.

The missiles are principally the Army’s surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The US has used “virtually all” of these weapons, according to two of the sources.

The degree to which the military is running out of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles has not been previously reported.

The long-range munitions – which cost more than $1 million each – are an important part of the military’s arsenal, allowing accurate strikes from a safe distance. US-supplied ATACMS have played a key role in the war in Ukraine, allowing Ukrainian forces to attack targets inside Russia. The PrSM is a newer, more advanced generation that will replace the ATACMS, which have a shorter range.

The dramatic rundown in precision, long-range missiles means US President Donald Trump may have to rely more on riskier, piloted bombing missions if he relaunches large-scale attacks on Iran.

The sources declined to say how many of each munition the US had left.

Trump launched the Iran war jointly with Israel in February, predicting that the conflict would last a short time.

But as the war drags on, the three people familiar with the matter expressed worry that the falling missile supplies could limit the US ability to deter adversaries, including Russia and China.

A fourth person familiar with the matter said that while US Central Command (CENTCOM) – which oversees US forces in the Middle East – has nearly used up the land-based missiles it had before the war began, it has been able to reload from US military supplies elsewhere in the world.

The sources interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Asked for comment on the stockpile data, the White House issued a statement from Trump, saying the US had “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.”

“Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump said.

Arms production is up but may fall short of what is needed for prolonged war

Analysts agree that certain munitions, including artillery shells and several types of missiles, are being produced at record levels but caution that supplies might fall short of what is needed for a prolonged war.

Lockheed Martin, which makes the ATACMS and PrSMs, along with the anti-ballistic missile THAAD system, did not immediately respond to questions about Trump’s statements or about supply levels. Raytheon, which makes Tomahawk missiles and Patriot interceptors, two important US weapons, also did not immediately respond.

Responding to a request for comment, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said: “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing. We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the US military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests.”

The supply figures have circulated inside the federal government over the last week during tense conversations inside the Trump administration about how much longer the US can continue striking Iran without drawing down the stockpile to levels that would limit the military’s ability to respond to crises elsewhere.

Warnings over dwindling weapons supplies

One of the sources said the drawdown of the ATACMS and PrSM stockpiles reflected a decision by the Trump administration to avoid riskier ways of attacking Iranian targets, such as by using piloted aircraft to drop bombs.

Because these weapons allow the military to attack targets from a distance, analysts say they would be valuable in a war against an adversary with strong air defenses, such as China. They have been used to strike targets inside Iran, according to a March report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

According to the report, PrSM stockpiles were low to start with, since it is a relatively new munition, but the US military has ordered a large number of them for 2027. The Army has said that ATACMS are being phased out and that production is shifting to the newer PrSM missiles.

Military leaders have for weeks warned the president that stockpiles of defensive weapons – including Patriot interceptors, which are effective against ballistic missiles – were dwindling, said two of the sources. Last week, several media outlets reported Trump had decided not to launch another massive offensive inside Iran in part because his military advisers had warned about the US stockpile.

A US official disputed those accounts, saying Trump chose not to move forward with another attack because of pressure from Gulf states.

The Middle East conflict has sparked intense debate about Trump’s authority to prosecute hostilities against Iran without congressional authorization. No request for a declaration of war or an authorization to use military force has been submitted to Congress.

Defensive weapons stockpiles also diminishing

Last week, CSIS published a report estimating that between February and July about 65% of Patriot interceptors had been expended and that the number of THAAD ballistic missile interceptors in US stockpiles was at least 38% lower than at the start of the war. Patriots and THAADs are systems that detect and destroy incoming missiles and are among the most effective in the country’s arsenal.

While Reuters has not seen the supply figures, those numbers match internal US data, two of the sources said.

The US also burned through a little less than half of its global supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are generally launched from ships, since the start of the war, one of the sources said.

Reuters could not independently verify that number.

The Tomahawk is a Navy weapon, launched from destroyers, cruisers and submarines, and has long served as the sea service’s principal means of striking heavily defended targets without risking pilots.

Raytheon, a unit of RTX, has reached a tentative multi-year agreement with the Pentagon aimed at boosting Tomahawk production, alongside increases in other munitions, as Washington races to rebuild stockpiles.

This post was originally published on here. 

I’ve always enjoyed the restaurants in Beit Ticho, the historical home of the renowned late artist Anna Ticho. Although right in the center of downtown Jerusalem, Beit Ticho feels like an oasis from the noise and ongoing construction.

As long as I can remember, the restaurants at Beit Ticho served fish and dairy food, including the recent Eser, owned by chef Jacob Turjeman. He has now opened Mifgash Ticho in the same space, but this time with a meat menu. On the evening I visited, my companion and I sat in the large, beautiful outdoor terrace, which was just lovely as Jerusalem cooled down.

“I felt like the city needed a casual place for steak that was not overly expensive,” explained the self-taught Turjeman, who cooks creative food at his other restaurants 1868, Zuta, and JLM Sushi.

Starting our meal with cocktails

I invited my friend Laura Cornfield from my Ladies Who Drink group, so of course we had to start our meal with a cocktail. The bartender, Shmulik, is the long-time bartender at Zuta, and he and Laura are old friends. I went for the Mai-Tai (NIS 62) made with rum and orange liqueur, which made me glad I wasn’t driving. Laura chose the Clover Club (NIS 62), a pre-Prohibition classic cocktail made with gin and raspberry syrup, although here it is made with blueberry syrup. It was delicate and delicious.

For appetizers, I selected the beef filet tartare (NIS 68) served with a bone-marrow aioli on a toasted brioche. Laura chose the roasted cabbage skewer (NIS 58) with carrot caramel and mustard aioli. Both were outstanding, and I would definitely order both again.

Jacob added two appetizers that he chose – a sourdough focaccia (NIS 32) with smoked aioli and garlic confit, and greens fatayer (NIS 42), a dumpling stuffed with cilantro and garlic. Fatayer is an Arab or Levantine dish usually stuffed with meat, and this vegetarian version was unique and definitely worth trying.

Our server, Sapir, was not only familiar with the menu, but warm and hospitable as well. It was another reminder of just how important good service is to a diner’s overall experience.

A small, well-executed menu

There are only nine main dishes on the menu, although I would rather have a smaller number of well-executed choices than a large menu that is more hit-and-miss. Laura ordered the 150-gr. beef fillet in a red wine sauce (NIS 145), and because there is no fat on the fillet, it was definitely enough to fill her up even after I took a bite. The meat was outstanding, and I would go back just for this steak.

I asked Jacob to choose a steak for me, and he sent out the 400-gr. boneless rib-eye steak (NIS 350), which was pre-sliced and more than I could finish. This pricey steak had been aged in their refrigerator and had a deep, beefy taste. 

As it was a rib-eye, it had a fair amount of fat. I usually cut most of the fat off steak, but here the fat melted in my mouth. It was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. I took the leftovers home and Netanel (my foodie son) grabbed the container out of my hands and tasted the steak.

“This is amazing,” he said. “You can taste the aging on it.”

Along with the steak we had delicious chips that had been cooked in beef fat, and fresh green beans with garlic.

When it was time for dessert, we were pretty full. I’m also not usually a big fan of parve desserts. But in the interest of research, Laura and I shared soft hazelnut ice cream with candied hazelnuts (NIS 48) that was so good we questioned whether it was really parve.

Mifgash Ticho has several private rooms for events and will begin serving lunch in the coming few weeks.

Overall, it was a fantastic meal in a beautiful setting, at a reasonable price. Highly recommended.

Mifgash Ticho
10 Harav Agan Street, Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 622-2313
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 6 p.m.-11 p.m.
Kashrut: Rabbanut Jerusalem

The writer was a guest of the restaurant.

This post was originally published on here. 

Ukrainian drone and missile maker Fire Point has secured agreements from over a dozen European defense companies to provide radar, guidance and other systems ​for the Freyja missile defense project, and is starting to integrate the various systems, its CEO has said.

Ukraine had urgently sought partners to develop a weapon capable of ‌stopping Russia’s ballistic missiles. The pan-European project was launched officially in Paris last month by 10 governments and 12 defense firms – including Eurosam, Leonardo and SAAB.

Kyiv currently relies on the US-made Patriot system to down ballistic missiles that fly at several times the speed of sound, but global shortages of its interceptor missiles, exacerbated by the war in Iran, have left Ukraine exposed.

“Pretty much everything is agreed,” CEO Iryna Terekh told Reuters, saying 13 industrial partners had already ​joined. Fire Point aims to achieve its first successful interception by mid-2027, she added.

Ukraine’s Fire Point builds pan-European Freyja missile

The Ukrainian company is providing the FP7.X – a faster version of its ​FP7 ballistic missile – as the interceptor and is now integrating that with the guidance system, known as a seeker, Terekh said:

“Right now we are in ⁠the most intense and also in the most complicated stage of finally assembling everything together with surveillance radars, with tracking radars, with the seekers.”

Norway’s Kongsberg is working on the command center integrating the ​various systems. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Industry publications have reported that Germany’s Diehl Defence – which produces a seeker for its own IRIS-T air defence system – will provide the guidance system. A ​Diehl spokesperson confirmed the firm was in talks with Fire Point but declined to discuss details. Terekh declined to comment.

Fire Point aims to produce a ballistic interceptor for less than €1 million ($1.2 million) per missile, Terekh said – a quarter to a sixth of the cost of a Patriot.

“We’re trying to squeeze a program that usually takes 20 or 30 years into a matter of a couple of years,” Terekh said, adding that there had been at least five tests ​of the interceptor missile.
 
The project would use open-source architecture and allow different options to swapped in and out – such as a Weibel radar for one made by Saab, according to Ukrainian officials.

The number ​of industrial partners could rise to around 20, which would increase production capacity, Terekh said. She added Fire Point was in talks with Ukrainian state-owned missile makers, but declined to name them.

Terekh said the participating companies would finance ‌research and ⁠development until a minimum viable product (MVP) was reached – which she said would mean the successful interception of a ballistic missile.

Attack missiles nearly ready for combat

“We expect the launcher to have from four to six missiles. So if from one batch there was an interception of a ballistic missile for MVP, this would be a wonderful result,” Terekh said.

A missile gets through only if all the interceptors in a launcher miss. Keeping the probability of six misses in a row below 5% – an industry standard – requires each interceptor to hit roughly 40% of the time, according to Fabian Hoffmann, missile expert at the Norwegian Institute for ​Defence Studies.

If it could really be done for €1 ​million, it would be “pretty impressive”, and “very cheap”, Hoffmann ⁠said.

The FP7 missile has an attack variant that can be used to strike ground targets. This has undergone about 15 test launches and is now being certified by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, which she expected to take two to four more weeks.

Fire Point aims for first combat use of this version ​in early autumn, and late autumn for the much larger FP9 ballistic missile, which it says will be able to reach Moscow.
 
Terekh said the ​FP7’s architecture was based on ⁠Soviet-era designs for the S300 and S400 interceptors, but that Fire Point’s missile now shared only 20% similarity with those weapons.

In a recent interview, Fire Point co-founder Denys Shtilierman said the Soviet plans had been procured as a favour by Timur Mindich, a former business associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy who faces charges of corruption and is now a fugitive in Israel.

Fire Point says it declined an offer from Mindich to buy a ⁠stake in ​the company.

Fire Point is pressing ahead with building its own engine for its FP5 cruise missile, known as the Flamingo, ​which has hit several prominent military targets in Russia this year.

It had been using second-hand jet engines – “digging through the cemetery of the engines … like in a thrift store,” Terekh said.

But these are getting harder and harder to find, so Fire Point is ​assembling the first 10 units of its own prototype.

“As soon as we’re happy with the results of tests of these test engines, there’ll definitely be many more Flamingos,” Terekh said.

This post was originally published on here. 

A fire in central Israel’s Ben Shemen Forest was brought under control after causing road closures on Highways 1 and 6, according to the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority.

A Magen David Adom spokesperson said later on Tuesday that no injuries have been reported, though MDA teams are on scene ready to provide medical treatment where required.

Highway 1 and Highway 6 have since reopened to traffic, the Israel Police said later on Tuesday, with officers on scene to direct vehicles in the area.

Despite the lifting of road closures, police have asked drivers to avoid the area if possible as traffic congestion continues.

21 firefighting crews and four aircraft are still battling the open-air fire, which broke out earlier on Tuesday, Israel Fire and Rescue said.

Highway 1 was also closed briefly in the eastbound direction on Monday after a vehicle caught fire near Shoresh Interchange outside Jerusalem, causing no injuries.

Warmer temperatures contributing to greater fire danger

Increases in global temperatures have led to the recent rise in both the scale and intensity of forest fires. 

The National Security Ministry, the Israel Innovation Authority, IAI, Technion, and the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority have responded to the crisis through a collaborative effort to find a solution for identifying fires as quickly as possible, potentially within moments following their ignition.

Aaron Glick and Maya Zanger-Nadis contributed to this report.

This post was originally published on here. 

Hamas will not change its mentality and “resisting the occupation is its holy mission,” the terror group’s spokesperson Ghazi Hamad claimed during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, broadcast on Monday.

Morgan asked Hamad whether the deal coordinated by the Trump administration, including the implementation of the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), will lead to Hamas disarmament.

“This is an exceptional phase in Palestinian history. Because of forced necessity, the hard circumstances in Gaza, we accept this agreement. But I think that as Hamas, I can confirm that we didn’t change our mentality, our goal to end the occupation, to continue to end the occupation with the Palestinian factions, because this is our holy mission,” Hamad said.

Notably, he did not answer Morgan’s question, which explicitly asked when Hamas would disarm and hand over its weapons as part of the process.

“Maybe this time [Hamas will use] some different tactics, different tools, different methods,” Hamad added.

The terror spokesperson, however, stated that he does not believe that Israel will “fulfill its commitments,” as Israel has a “state of arrogance, state of supremacy, and wants to control everything by force,” in his view.

Hamas, therefore, will “continue with all Palestinian factions to fight against occupation until we reach the end of this occupation and freedom for our people,” Hamad said.

Hamad: ‘An exceptional deal in exceptional circumstances’

Hamad told Morgan that the deal is exceptional “because of the exceptional circumstances.”

“Why would you kidnap a baby?!”

Piers Morgan tells Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad that the group has crossed ‘every moral, ethical and humanity line’.

Watch more 👇

📺 https://t.co/NmaTrNeYX8@piersmorgan pic.twitter.com/a1GieWFiAc

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) August 3, 2026

“I think we did our best in order to save our people, to save our citizens in Gaza from displacement, from mass killing, from massacres, from genocide, from all kinds of tortures. So I think this is a necessity in order to save our people in Gaza. I know it’s not easy. I’m not so pleased with this deal because I think we are looking for something better in order to create a good atmosphere for our people, to end our occupation, to build a new future for our people,” he said.

“But the situation really is very bad, very hard for us,” he claimed.

Hamad also blamed Israel for “creating troubles” across the Middle East, including in Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran, as well as “destroying the peace process.”

Hamas is ‘not terrorist’ because it only resists Israel, Hamad claims

Hamad claimed that the terror group believed in “humanity, law, ethics, and morality.”

He also denied that Hamas’s policy was to conduct a massacre on October 7, stating that “maybe there were some mistakes by individuals.”

“The idea that you’ve not committed crimes is ridiculous… you gunned down innocent people!”

Watch all of Piers Morgan’s interview with Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad👇

📺 https://t.co/NmaTrNfwMG@piersmorgan pic.twitter.com/jMtJLrs3Ei

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) August 3, 2026

However, Hamad repeatedly stated in October 2023 that Hamas would conduct the massacre over and over again until Israel is annihilated, and was confronted with these contradictory statements by Morgan.

“It is not our thinking. It is not our mentality to kill civilians,” the terror spokesperson claimed.

He also claimed that Hamas was “very, very kind” with the hostages taken during the massacre, including by feeding them, and giving them “all kinds of protection and shelter.”

He also claimed that Hamas is not a terrorist organization and is acting to “resist occupation” because the terror group never uses its “power and capability against Europeans, against Christians, against Jews, against Western people.”

Hamad has been sanctioned by the US since 2024 and is currently based in Qatar, according to NGO Monitor.

Along with being a leading spokesperson for the terror group, he also runs Gaza’s Social Development Ministry (MosD), NGO Monitor noted.

On August 1, the US Justice Department confirmed that a UK-based individual was arrested for running a sham charity linked with Hamad and MoSD.

NGO Monitor also highlighted other foreign charities and NGOs, including three based in the US, that have a record of “troubling coordination” with MoSD.

The “Mercy Corps,” which has received $9m. from USAID-BHA in 2022, coordinated with MoSD on “unconditional cash assistance” in Gaza, NGO Monitor said.

ANERA, which received $79.2m. from USAID from 2013-2022, and had been marked for a further $12.5 from 2024-2029, worked with MoSD on initiatives which included a 2023 “building project,” NGO Monitor noted.

Additionally, Rahma Worldwide partnered with a Kuwaiti charity that had been designated by the US for al-Qaeda links and was found by NGO Monitor to have coordinated with MoSD “on multiple projects including cash assistance.”

This post was originally published on here. 

A well-known lawyer was murdered in his office in an apparent targeting attack near the Golden Mall in Rishon Lezion on Tuesday, according to Magen David Adom (MDA). 

Emergency services arrived at the scene and found the victim unconscious with a penetrating injury, though he was pronounced dead soon after. It’s speculated to have been a gunshot wound.

“We received a report of a man who was wounded in a violent incident,” said Magen David Adom motorcycle unit emergency medical technician Naftali Halberstadt and MDA medic Meir Binenfeld. “We arrived at the scene and joined the police forces. We saw a man around 50 years old lying unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, with a penetrating injury to his body. We performed medical examinations, and unfortunately, we had to pronounce him dead at the scene.”

Police officers from the Rishon Lezion station in the Shfela district arrived at the scene shortly afterward. They opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and launched extensive searches for the suspect.

Investigation is underway, case believed to be criminal

The motive is believed to be criminal, and the circumstances are under investigation. 

It is being treated as a suspected assassination attempt, though the name of the victim has yet to be released.

This post was originally published on here. 

An elderly woman was killed, and several pedestrians were injured in a bus accident on David Remez Street in Ashkelon on Tuesday afternoon. 

Police confirmed shortly after the accident that three different buses were involved. 

Magen David Adom medics and paramedics provided medical treatment at the scene to a number of injured people with varying degrees of injury.

Two women in their 70s were taken to Barzilai Medical Center, one in serious condition and one in moderate condition, according to MDA. Police stated that both were in serious condition.

Police open investigation into the bus crash

Israel Police opened an investigation into the incident, arriving on the scene alongside paramedics from MDA and United Hatzala to collect witness testimony and evidence. 

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett announced on Tuesday the addition of four women to the B’Yachad Party’s Knesset slate, bringing the total number of female candidates on the list to 17 ahead of the elections.

B’Yachad is led by Bennett and is a core party in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, set for October 27.

Those added to the list included Esti Ayalon Kubo, the former head of Israel’s economic delegation to China. 

The party stated that Kubo has extensive experience in economic diplomacy and represented Israel at numerous international economic forums. She was born in Ethiopia and made aliyah to Israel with her family.

Another addition was social entrepreneur Olessia Kantor, who founded the Lev Esh initiative after the October 7 massacre, working to provide therapy to survivors coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

New additions to the B’Yachad slate

She also established a philanthropic foundation that assists women and children impacted by domestic violence. In 2024, Kubo was named among The Jerusalem Post’s 50 Most Influential Jews.

A further addition was Bruria Naim Erma, who serves as director-general of the B’Yachad Party and held a high-ranking position in the Transportation Ministry.

The party stated that Erman had served as the director of the Together Party since its founding and is an entrepreneur specializing in community relations. 

Another addition was the head of B’Yachad’s Women’s Branch, social activist and artificial intelligence expert Orly Harel.

The party stated that Harel has worked as an entrepreneur in the fields of generative AI and medicine, and is also a prominent social activist. 

She was previously active in the Likud Party and founded the Likud Women of Jerusalem Forum. 

Announcing the additions, Bennett said that his team “for repairing Israel received significant reinforcements.”

He stated that each candidate reflected a “true Israeli mosaic of top-notch women of action, each in her own field.”

Women make up a majority of candidates, inclusion not based on gender

Bennett also noted that while women make up a majority of B’Yachad’s candidates, their inclusion was not based on gender considerations, but rather on “a simple decision we made when we set out: to include the very best people.”

“Together, we will fix what’s broken,” he added.

Other female candidates on his list include former government director-generals Keren Terner and Liran Avisar Ben Horin.

Terner had served as director-general of the Communications Ministry, and Ben Horin served as director-general of both the Finance and Transportation Ministries.

B’Yachad merged with Yesh Atidin in April, and is expected to include lawmakers from the party on its list as well. Yesh Atid MK Meirav Cohen is the chairperson of the Knesset’s Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality.

Bennett became prime minister in 2021 in a rotation government with opposition leader Yair Lapid, who is also the chairperson of Yesh Atid.

Bennett has contrasted the current government’s record with that of his own, noting that his administration included more female ministers and directors-general than any previous government in Israel’s history.

He also pledged last month that, if elected, his next government would use all available state tools to combat violence against women.

This post was originally published on here. 

New episodes every Sunday-Thursday.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

For more news, analysis, and the latest updates, head to jpost.com.

Headlines edited by Shir Perets and Lara Sukster Mosheyof.

Hosted by Gadi Zaig.

Produced by Gadi Zaig and Shifra Jacobs.

This post was originally published on here. 

Israeli undercover operatives recently busted a smuggling ring in Israel’s South in a series of takedowns “along the [south]western border,” the IDF and Israel Police announced in a joint statement on Tuesday. 

Undercover Border Police officers, working in tandem with several other wings of the security establishment, conducted two separate missions targeting large-scale drug smuggling operations.

In the first operation, two suspects were arrested, and a large drone was confiscated from them, which police suspect was used to transport drugs across the border. 

Forces also seized vehicle with suspected drugs

In the second operation, Israeli security forces seized a vehicle containing a large quantity of substances suspected to be illicit drugs intended for distribution.

The two arrested individuals and the seized materials were transferred to the Segev Shalom station in the Southern District for further investigation by the Israel Police.

This post was originally published on here. 

On July 8, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump had a face-to-face meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

According to the official Syrian read-out and US reporting, they discussed strengthening US-Syrian relations, Syria’s economic recovery, and foreign investment. Following their meeting, Trump announced he was removing Syria from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, a designation Syria had borne since 1979.

Reuters reported that Trump handed Sharaa a personal letter during the meeting. The key passages were: “I promised to remove all barriers stopping you from rebuilding your country, and very soon you will finally be able to do so,” and “We have US companies ready to invest in Syria and help make your country greater and more prosperous than ever before.”

Speaking to the media after their meeting, Trump praised Sharaa in unusually strong terms. He’s: “doing an unbelievable job in unifying Syria….Syria was a mess…now it’s just come together … He’s done a fantastic job.” All the indications are that Trump has decided to adopt post-Assad Syria as a working partner in developing a reinvigorated Middle East.

One week later, Trump was entertaining Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House.

Once again the meeting was notable for its tone. Trump repeatedly praised Zaidi and spoke of their “tremendous chemistry.” He made it clear that he regarded Iraq’s new prime minister also as a partner with whom Washington could build a stronger long-term relationship.

The discussion covered expanding economic relations between the two countries, while both sides endorsed a series of memoranda of understanding (MoU) involving US participation in Iraq’s oil and gas sector.

Zaidi reiterated his government’s intention of bringing all armed groups, including Iran-backed militias, under state control, while confirming that the remaining US forces in Iraq are expected to complete their withdrawal by September 30, 2026.

What was not specifically referred to by either party – and not mentioned either following Trump’s discussion with Sharaa – was the US-Syria-Iraq plan to revive the historic 500-mile pipeline from the oilfields of Kirkuk in northern Iraq to the town of Baniyas, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast – a determined effort to reduce Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tom Barrack, Trump’s ambassador to Turkey and envoy to Syria and Iraq, had been working on the details of the agreement before Zaidi’s visit.

The pipeline was completed in 1952 by Iraq’s Petroleum Company with a capacity of around 300,000 barrels per day. Baghdad shut the pipeline in the 1980s after Syria sided with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war.

The pipeline will almost certainly have to be wholly replaced – a project calculated to last up to three years.

A glance at the map shows that reviving the pipeline would give Iraq a strategic alternative to exporting oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Unlike Gulf exports, shipments through the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline would avoid the Persian Gulf altogether.

It would spare tankers the need to negotiate the strategic Hormuz choke point on both their outbound and return voyages. Oil reaching Syria’s Mediterranean coast via the pipeline could be shipped directly to European markets.

Routing Iraqi oil this way could cut a tanker’s voyage to European refineries by roughly 3,000 nautical miles and more than a week at sea, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in normal shipping costs while avoiding the war-risk insurance and disruption associated with the Strait of Hormuz.

Although it has clearly been agreed between the parties to keep the resurrection of the historic pipeline low-key, Reuters and other media outlets indicate that the project has advanced well beyond the conceptual stage.

US backing oil pipeline

It is claimed that the US is officially backing restoration of the 891 km. long pipeline, and that the US expects American firms to take part in rebuilding the line. Chevron has been widely mentioned as a potential participant, although the company has declined to comment publicly.

Other pipeline projects with outlets on Syria’s Mediterranean coast are also under consideration, and could link major energy producers in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, directly to Syria’s ports.

Indeed, with Syria shorn of its sanctions and established as a fully-fledged partner, it has the potential to become a major energy transit hub. It has about 2.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, but some geological estimates suggest its undiscovered onshore and offshore petroleum resources could ultimately exceed 20 billion barrels.

In February 2026, Chevron signed a memorandum of understanding with Syria’s state-owned petroleum company and Qatar’s Power International Holding to develop the country’s first offshore oil and gas field.

Days later, Saudi and American energy companies formed a consortium to explore four or five oil and gas blocks and rebuild energy infrastructure in north-east Syria.

Finding gas is, of course, only the beginning. Syria would ultimately need to sell it. Trump’s decision to remove Syria from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism signals that Washington now regards Sharaa’s government as a legitimate partner.

That political endorsement encourages investors who might otherwise have stayed away, and it makes it much easier to construct pipelines, use Mediterranean export terminals, attract investment and conclude long-term gas sales contracts with foreign buyers.

Were Israel to follow Trump’s lead in considering Syria’s potential as a commercial partner, several hazards would need to be overcome. One is the strong influence that Turkey, no friend of Israel, exercises on Sharaa.

Then there is the fact that Russia has retained a significant military and commercial presence in Syria. President Vladimir Putin has preserved his strategic foothold on the eastern Mediterranean, having negotiated continued access to Russia’s naval facility at Tartus and its Khmeimim air base near Latakia.

At the same time, according to reliable media reports, a Russian commercial logistics hub is expected to become operational at Tartus very soon, handling Russian cargo and providing a maritime link between the Syrian coast and Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

Trump seems determined to enfold both Syria’s Sharaa and Iraq’s al-Zaidi into a close commercial and economic embrace. In Israel, however, both are viewed rather more cautiously. Trust cannot simply be bestowed; it will have to be earned.

The writer, a former senior civil servant, is the Middle East correspondent for Eurasia Review. Follow him at: www.a-mid-east-journal.blogspot.com

This post was originally published on here. 

Three teenagers drifted into Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) near Tiberias and were unable to return to shore on Monday night, prompting a rescue by United Hatzalah. 

A United Hatzalah boat was conducting patrols on the water when the dispatch center received a call about the rubber boat, which had strayed off course near Shikmim Beach. 

A rescue vessel picked up the three boys, brought them to land, and United Hatzalah medical personnel assessed them. At the marina, they were found to be suffering from mild dehydration.

“We located the teenagers in deep water and brought them safely back to shore. Fortunately, they were all in stable condition,” said United Hatzalah’s Tiberias branch head Yossi Oknin.

United Hatzalah rescues three boys near Tiberias

United Hatzalah is a volunteer-based emergency medical organization that provides free service throughout Israel. They have over 8,600 active volunteers, and the Tiberias branch is one of the few equipped with an aquatic rescue unit. 

“It is important to note that since the beginning of the summer vacation, United Hatzalah’s rescue boat has remained on the highest level of alert in order to respond to any emergency,” Oknin added.

This post was originally published on here. 

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Telegram on Tuesday that they hit a target at Saudi Arabia’s Najran Airport.

There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis said the strike was in response to what they described as Saudi drone incursions into the airspace over the Saada and Hajjah governorates in northwestern Yemen.

The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea since last month in response to what they described as a Saudi siege on Yemen, an allegation Riyadh has denied.

 This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here.