Does the Mitzvah to Eliminate Idol Worship Apply in Israel Today?

 https://www.berotbatayin.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ReehChurches.pdf

Must Churches be Torched in Israel? 

The Positive Torah Mitzvah to Destroy Idolatry

If You Find an Idol Must You Destroy it? 

Aiming for a Pure, Holy and Idol Free Israel

I believe it is important to heighten awareness – through peaceful means – that the appearance of idols in Israel is a serious Torah infringement. Living in an egalitarian, tolerant world, makes it challenging to regard the sight of any church in the land of Israel or the rest of the world as a desecration of Hashem’s name. Yet, despite, desiring a pure, holy and idol-free Israel, it makes sense to me that we need to exercise patience and restrain ourselves from taking the law into our own hands – walking around smashing idol worship in Israel or anywhere else – until the Oneness of Hashem will be revealed to all. Let us pray that this day will come speedily and in our time

Destroying Idols in Israel

 Avoda Zara (54b): Philosophers asked the Sages in Rome: If your G d doesn’t want idolatry why doesn’t He simply destroy it? They said: If the object worshiped was something that the world had no need He would in fact destroy it. However they worship the sun, moon, stars and constellations. Should He destroy the world for the sake of fools? Therefore the world goes in its natural course and the fools whose way is corrupt will be punished in the future. Another example: A person stole wheat and planted it. It is only just that the stolen seed should not grow. However the world goes in its natural course and the fools whose way is corrupt will be punished in the future. Another example: If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, it is only just that she should get pregnant. However the world goes in its natural course and the fools whose way is corrupt will be punished in the future. Reish Lakish said: G d said that it is bad enough that the wicked misuse My world but they also trouble Me force Me to put My seal on it.

Berachos (54a) On seeing a place from which idolatry has been extirpated, he should say, blessed be he who extirpated idolatry from our land.

Berachos (57b) A PLACE FROM WHICH IDOLATRY HAS BEEN UPROOTED. Our Rabbis taught: If one sees a statue of Hermes, he says, Blessed be He who shows long suffering to those who transgress His will. If he sees a place from which idolatry has been uprooted, he says, Blessed be He who uprooted idolatry from our land; and as it has been uprooted from this place, so may it be uprooted from all places belonging to Israel; and do Thou turn the heart of those that serve them to serve Thee. Outside Palestine it is not necessary to say: Turn the heart of those that serve them to serve Thee, because most of them are idolaters. R. Simeon b. Eleazar says: Outside Palestine also one should say this, because they will one day become proselytes, as it says, For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language.

Chinuch (436:1)To destroy idolatry and its auxiliaries: That we were commanded to destroy all houses of idolatry with all types of destruction — with breaking, with burning, with demolition, with cutting — every type with what is fitting for it; meaning to say with what would be most destructive and quick in its destruction. And the intent is that we not leave a trace of idolatry. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 12:2), “You shall surely destroy all of the places, etc.” And it is also stated (Deuteronomy 12:3), “But rather, etc. their altars shall you tear down.” And it states further (Deuteronomy 12:3), “And you shall tear down their altar.” And the proof that it is a positive commandment is that which it said in Sanhedrin 90a, “What is the positive commandment about idolatry?” — meaning to say, to destroy it? “Rav Chasda [answered], ‘“And you shall tear down, etc.”’” And the language of Sifrei Devarim 60 is “From where do we know that if one cuts down a tree-god and it grows back even ten times that a person is obligated to cut it down? Hence, we learn to say, ‘you shall surely destroy, etc.’” And it is also said there, “‘And you will destroy their name from that place’ — in the Land of Israel, you are commanded to pursue after them, but you are not commanded to pursue after them outside of the Land.”

Devarim (07:02-5) And when the Lord your God shall deliver them before you; you shall strike them, and completely destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them;3. And you shall not make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give to his son, nor his daughter shall you take to your son.4. For they will turn away your son from following me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy you speedily.5. But thus shall you deal with them; you shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their Asherim, and burn their carved idols with fire.

Devarim (12:02-04) You shall completely destroy all the places, where the nations which you shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree;3. And you shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and you shall cut down the carved images of their gods, and destroy their names out of that place.4. You shall not do so to the Lord your God.

Rambam (Avoda Zara 07:01) It is a positive commandment to destroy false deities, all their accessories, and everything that is made for their purposes, states: "You shall surely destroy all the places where the gentiles... served their gods" andRather, what you should do to them is tear down their altars."

Sanhedrin (89b) "the positive commandment of idolatry," they said by way of wonder, "What positive commandment is there in idolatry? Rabbi Hisda explained, 'And tear down.

Sefer HaMitzvos (Positive Commandments 185:1) That is that He commanded us to destroy idolatry and all of its houses with all types of destruction, annihilation, breaking, burning, demolishing and cutting - every type according to what will be most enhanced and quickest in the destruction. And the intention is that we should not leave a trace of them. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "You must surely destroy all the sites at which they worshiped, etc. And tear down their altars"  and His also saying, "you shall tear down their altars".

Sifrei (Devarim 60:1) From where do we know that if he cut down idolatry even ten times and it grew again, he must cut it down? Hence we learn to say, 'You must surely destroy.'" And they say there , "'And you shall destroy their name rom that place' - In the Land of Israel, you are commanded to pursue it its complete destruction; but you are not commanded to pursue it outside of the Land.

In central Bnei Brak: Israeli flag flown on roof of Ponevezh Yeshiva

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/389928

As per the instructions of Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, legendary Ponevezh Yeshiva dean, the Israeli flag was hung early on Independence Day morning and will remain there until the afternoon.

Since then, in following Rabbi Kahaneman's customs, the flag has been hung on the yeshiva every year on Independence Day, and remains there from eight in the morning until four o'clock in the afternoon.

During Rabbi Kahaneman’s time, students at the yeshiva did not say the daily Tachanun prayer on Independence Day in recognition of its joyous nature, he said. However, after his passing, students resumed saying Tachanun as on other days.

Despite Trump’s claims, Iran war is doing him damage

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5840075-trump-iran-war-gas-prices-midterm-elections/

Trump and key allies like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insist that the U.S. military has already won a great victory in Iran. American and Israeli bombardments have, to be sure, inflicted serious damage on the Islamic Republic, especially its navy and air force.

But the question of strategic victory is a very different one — especially since Iran has displayed an ability to block the vital Strait of Hormuz, sending oil and gas prices to levels far above their prewar range.

But a new poll from NBC News released Sunday found Trump’s approval rating at the lowest point of his second term. Just 37 percent of surveyed adults support his performance in office so far, while 63 percent disapprove. 

The poll found 67 percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump has handled the war in Iran, while just 33 percent approve.

Politically, the war has steepened an already rough climb for Republicans in November’s midterm elections. 

A deal to end the Iran war seemed close. Then Trump started posting on social media

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/20/politics/social-media-posts-trump-iran-deal

As the weekend approached, the US and Iran appeared to be closing in on a deal to end the seven-week war.

Then President Donald Trump did exactly what his staffers have repeatedly said they wouldn’t do: He seemed to try negotiating via the press, posting about ongoing talks on social media and speaking to several reporters by phone Friday morning as Pakistani intermediaries updated him on ongoing talks with Iranian officials in Tehran.

He claimed Iran had agreed to a host of provisions that sources familiar with the talks said have not yet been finalized. He also asserted that Tehran had agreed to many of the most contentious US demands — including that it had agreed to hand over the enriched uranium — and declared an imminent end to the war.

Why military brass kept Trump sidelined during high-stakes Iranian extraction operation

 https://www.jpost.com/international/article-893485

Military aides kept Trump out of the Situation Room during the high-stakes Iran rescue mission of a US airman, fearing his temper would derail the mission.

Military advisers intentionally excluded President Donald Trump from the command room during the recent high-stakes extraction of a downed American airman in Iran, fearing his erratic temper would jeopardize the mission, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a senior administration official.

To mitigate the risk of impulsive interference, aides opted to provide the commander in chief with updates only at “meaningful moments,” rather than the minute-by-minute tactical feeds being monitored by the National Security Council.

Despite his bellicose public rhetoric and threats to “destroy Iranian civilization,” the report reveals that Trump remains the primary internal obstacle to a full-scale ground invasion. Military planners have reportedly presented options for the seizure of Kharg Island, the strategic hub for 90% of Iran’s oil exports.

Trump says ceasefire ends Wednesday evening and a further extension is ‘highly unlikely’

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/20/world/live-news/iran-war-us-trump-israel

• Looming deadline: US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran ends “Wednesday evening Washington time,” adding it’s “highly unlikely” he would extend it if a deal is not reached before then.

He spreads hate online — and fans pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/04/20/nick-fuentes-stream-donors-funding/

Fuentes, 27, has been kicked off most mainstream social networks because of his viral provocations and extreme bigotry: He has said that Adolf Hitler is “awesome,” that most Black people should be imprisoned, that “organized Jewry” has corrupted society and that women should be locked in “breeding gulags” and serve only as “mothers, whores or nuns.”

But he has become an increasingly influential and disruptive force in the American conservative movement, thanks to a shadow economy of loyalists who cut and promote viral clips from his hours-long streams in pursuit of their own online clout.

Through his superchats, Fuentes has funneled that attention into a lucrative financial engine fueled by the handouts of hardcore fans. He said he also makes money selling swastika-imprinted T-shirts and $100-a-month subscriptions to a private chatroom, where he talks with devotees.

In the years since he began streaming from his parents’ basement, Fuentes has emerged as one of the far right’s most contentious agitators, most notably for his scathing criticism of President Donald Trump. Though he dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2022, Fuentes now argues that the president “betrayed MAGA” by supporting Israel in a war with Iran and “blew it” by not working more aggressively to deport people of color.

The heart of Fuentes’s message was that young men in the United States have gotten a rotten deal. In his telling, a nation of entitled baby boomers, like those leading the Republican Party, had poisoned American society with bad jobs, unbearable women and a racially diverse population intent on depriving White people of what they’re owed.

Fuentes, however, was practically swimming in superchat funds. In 228 videos since Trump took office in January 2025, donors initiated more than 26,000 superchats totaling more than $896,000, The Post’s analysis found. Ryan called The Post’s findings “awesome” and said that he hoped Fuentes “can put that [money] to something good.”

Death of Tzadik Atones

 Torah Temima (Vayikra 16:1.1): The Yerushalmi states that just as Yom Kippur atones for the Jewish people so does the death of tzadikim. This gemora does not explain the significance or the reason why the death of tzadikim atones for the Jewish people. It appears that an answer can be found in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (Chapter 17) concerning the death of Shaul. In Shmuel it mentioned that the bones of Shaul were buried. This indicates that when G d saw how they cried and mourned for Shaul that this aroused the attribute of Mercy. We see then that it is not the death per se of the tzadik that brings about atonement but rather the honor and mourning for the tzadik, because the honor of the tzadik is in fact the honor of G d.

Shela (Tanis Aseres HaDibros, Torah Ohr 4:44) This that it says in Moed Koton (28a) that just as Yom Kippur atones so does the death of tzadikim atone. In other words just as Yom Kippur does not atone without repentance so too the death of a tzadik only atones for those who repent. But  possibly it is teaching that both Yom Kippur and the death of a tzadik atone with and without repentance  but that is not so as we learned  from previously regarding the bones of Shaul. Thus we learn here that only with repentance does the death of a tzadik and Yom Kippur atone. This is reinforced by the statement : Why is the death of Miriam adjacent to the section of the Red Heifer in the Torah? Just as the red Heifer atones so does the death of tzadikim and that is only for those who repented. 

 Bamidbar Rabbah (19:08) A certain idolater asked Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai: ‘These actions that you perform seem to be a type of sorcery. You bring a heifer, burn it, crush it, and take its ashes. One of you becomes impure from a corpse, one sprinkles upon him two or three drops, and you say to him: You are purified.’ He said to him: ‘Has a spirit of insanity never entered you?’ He said to him: ‘No.’ ‘Have you seen a person into whom a spirit of insanity has entered?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘And what do you do to him?’ He said to him: ‘We bring roots, smoke them beneath him, and sprinkle water on it, and it flees.’ He said to him: ‘Let your ears hear what you express from your mouth. The same is true of this spirit, this spirit of impurity, as it is written: “I will remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land” (Zechariah 13:2). We sprinkle upon it the water of sprinkling, and it flees.’After he left, his students said to him: ‘You rebuffed this one with a reed. What do you say to us?’ He said to them: ‘As you live, it is not the corpse that impurifies, and it is not the water that purifies. Rather, the Holy One blessed be He said: I instituted a statute, issued a decree; you are not permitted to violate My decree, as it is written: “This is the statute of the Torah.”’

Moed Koton (28a) Wherefore is the account of Miriam's death placed next to the laws of the red heifer? To inform you that even as the red heifer afforded atonement by the ritual use of its ashes, so does the death of tie righteous afford atonement for the living they have left behind.

Moed Koton (28a) Wherefore is the account of Aaron's death closely followed by the account of the disposal of the priestly vestments? To inform you that just as the priest's vestments were means to effect atonement so is the death of the righteousconducive to procuring atonement.

Vayikra Rabbah (20:12) Rabbi Abba bar Avina said: Why is the death of Miriam juxtaposed to the ashes of the heifer? It teaches that just as the ashes of the heifer atone, so the death of the righteous atones. Rabbi Yudan said: Why is the death of Aaron juxtaposed to the breaking of the tablets? It teaches that Aaron’s death was as difficult before the Holy One blessed be He as the breaking of the tablets. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: On the first of Nisan, Aaron’s sons died. Why, then, does it mention their death on Yom Kippur? It teaches that just as Yom Kippur atones, so, too, the death of the righteous atones. From where is it derived that Yom Kippur atones? As it is stated: “For on this day he shall atone for you, to purify you”. From where is it derived that the death of the righteous atones? As it is written: “They buried the bones of Saul”, and it is written: “and God acceded to the entreaty of the land thereafter”. 

Berachos (62b) And He said to the Angel that destroyed the people, It is enough. R. Eleazar said: G-d said to the Angel: Take a great man among them, through whose death many sins can be expiated for them. At that time there died Abishai son of Zeruiah, who was singly equal in worth to the greater part of the Sanhedrin.

Haredim and Religious Zionists - A Simplistic and Naive Viewpoint

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/425767

Question:

What is the difference in worldview between the Haredim and the Religious Zionists that results in their differing halakhic rulings regarding the mitzvot of settling the Land today and having a Medinah before Mashiach comes?

Answer:

The Yeshiva World focuses on one thing: Torah learning. Following the terrible destruction of European Torah world, today’s Haredim are making a monumental effort to build the world of Torah anew. To whatever extent they do collaborate with the State of Israel, it is for the purpose of advancing that goal.

The controversy between the Haredi approach and the Religious Zionists is about the means, not the goal. There is no essential difference regarding the goal. Everyone wants the entire Jewish People to settle in Eretz Yisrael. Everyone wants there to be a Jewish State and a Jewish army. Everyone wants the State to be holy, and everyone wants the Nation that dwells in Zion to act in a holy fashion. There is no argument over these points. The difference is only over the pathway that will take us there, the means to achieving the ends. Should we first move to Israel or should we first repent in the Diaspora and only then move to Israel? Should we collaborate with the re-establishment of the Jewish State or not? Should we presently serve in the army, or not

Death of Tzadik Atones for Jewish People

Torah Temima (Vayikra 16:1.1): The Yerushalmi states that just as Yom Kippur atones for the Jewish people so does the death of tzadikim. This gemora does not explain the significance or the reason why the death of tzadikim atones for the Jewish people. It appears that an answer can be found in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (Chapter 17) concerning the death of Shaul. In Shmuel it mentioned that the bones of Shaul were buried. This indicates that when G d saw how they cried and mourned for Shaul that this aroused the attribute of Mercy. We see then that it is not the death per se of the tzadik that brings about atonement but rather the honor and mourning for the tzadik, because the honor of the tzadik is in fact the honor of G d.

Moed Koton (28a) Wherefore is the account of Miriam's death placed next to the laws of the red heifer? To inform you that even as the red heifer afforded atonement by the ritual use of its ashes, so does the death of tie righteous afford atonement for the living they have left behind.

Moed Koton (28a) Wherefore is the account of Aaron's death closely followed by the account of the disposal of the priestly vestments? To inform you that just as the priest's vestments were means to effect atonement so is the death of the righteousconducive to procuring atonement.

Ben Shapiro Is Waging Battle Inside the MAGA Movement

 https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/ben-shapiro-is-waging-battle-inside-the-maga-movement#:~:text=The%20conservative%20commentator%20on%20the,corrupt%20yet%20sticks%20with%20him.&text=Listen%20and%20subscribe%3A%20Apple%20%7C

The conservative commentator on the antisemitism in MAGA media and why he condemns President Trump as corrupt yet sticks with him.

Well, I mean, the only way to lose my faith and support and vote forever would be for there to be an alternative that I find superior to him. This is the problem when you’re making voting decisions. Would I want Donald Trump marrying into my family? Probably not. The problem is that once you say that the candidate is “disqualified,” then you either have to sit out the election—which I did in 2016. And then whatever damage President Trump had, I thought, done by being elected in 2016, he did a bunch of things I liked between 2016 and 2020, and then I did not like what he did with regard to the election of 2020, and the falsehoods that he told about winning that election. And then I didn’t support him in the primaries, and then he ended up winning the nomination. He was running against Kamala Harris. So I can either sit out the election again, which doesn’t really achieve the—

Did the degree of antisemitism on the right take you by surprise?

Yes. The rise of it over the course of the last couple of years has certainly taken me by surprise. The willingness to aid and abet and promote antisemitic conspiracy theories has been shocking.

To understand what’s happening, I think we first have to understand what antisemitism actually is, because when people mischaracterize the definition, that allows their particular side to escape. So people tend to define antisemitism in a way that excuses their side, and that throws all of the blame on the other side. What they will say is “Well, I’m just anti-Israel, I’m not antisemitic,” or “I’m not personally antisemitic, I’m just against Jewish control of the media.”

The definition of antisemitism—antisemitism at its root—is a conspiracy theory about the power of Jews as a group in the world. And that can be channelled into an anti-Zionism that says that Israel is controlling American foreign policy, and that Israel has befuddled the world, and it’s all about the Benjamins—which is the kind of thing that Ilhan Omar says—or it can be channelled into: Jews in America are too powerful in the media and they’re cliquish and they are controlling the circumstances of my life.

So this is why I’m trying to be more precise about the definition. Being critical of Israeli policy is not the same thing as saying, for example, that Israel’s government designed and implemented a genocide, which is a lie, and that is a lie that can be chalked up to a nefarious view of what Jews are doing in the world, because it is also part and parcel of a broader lie, which is that the Jews have then sold the idea that they’re capable of doing whatever they want under the guise of America’s banner, and they’ve done so because of their inordinate power. It’s part of a broader conspiracy theory.

This is why I’m trying to be particularistic in my definition about what antisemitism is. I think the broad definition of antisemitism as sort of a subset of racism is wrong. I think that that definition is both overbroad and under-inclusive. What you end up with is the emptying out of antisemitism as a worthwhile category that actually bears weight in American life. Much the same way that the right said, for a long time, “You keep calling everybody racist, therefore nobody’s a racist,” which is untrue, right? There are actual racists out there.

But the idea is that if you over-apply a category, then it starts losing its power and its effectiveness, and that actually opens the door to the thing. I think the same thing has happened with antisemitism. And so what I’ve said before is: instead of talking in categories of antisemitism, or Jew hatred, or the rest of it, why don’t we talk about what’s true and what’s false and what’s moral and what’s not moral, because that’s easier for people to get their head around.

Why Antisemites Love Israel, and Vice Versa

 https://www.leftvoice.org/why-antisemites-love-israel-and-vice-versa/#:~:text=One%20might%20assume%20that%20the,them%20to%20be%20far%20away.

 If we look around the world today, some of the strongest supporters of Israel are unvarnished Jew haters. As a CNN investigation showed, the hooligans who attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA were not in their majority Jewish or Israeli — they were Trump supporters whose social media profiles were full of antisemitic memes about the Rothschilds controlling the world. 

Let’s look at some examples: 

Just a week after Donald Trump received a prize from the Zionist Organization of America for his steadfast support of Israel, he dined with the antisemite Kanye West and the Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

In France, Marine Le Pen’s party National Rally (RN) was founded by former Nazi collaborators — fascists who rounded up French Jews for genocide. But Le Pen supports Israel more than any other French politician does.

In Germany, the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) also has Nazi roots — their lead candidate in the European elections defended the SS, the organization that ran the extermination camps. The AfD is Germany’s most pro-Israel party.

In Italy, Giorga Meloni’s government supports Israel, while members of her party’s youth organization give fascist salutes and use antisemitic slurs.

Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, who didn’t want his kids going to school with Jews, has called MAGA “the most pro-Israel group” in the country, while MAGA supporters commit mass murder in synagogues.

In Hungary, Viktor Orbán has organized campaigns against the Jewish billionaire George Soros employing classic antisemitic tropes: “We are fighting an enemy that is different from us. Not open, but hiding; not straightforward but crafty; not honest but base; not national but international; does not believe in working but speculates with money; does not have its own homeland but feels it owns the whole world.” Orbán’s government is Israel’s closest ally in the European Council. 

In his diaries, Theodor Herzl, the founder of Zionism, noted that “the anti-Semites will become our most dependable friends, the anti-Semitic countries our allies.” This was not an abstract thought: In mid-1903, Herzl went to St. Petersburg to meet with the Tsar’s minister Vyacheslav von Plehve, who was responsible for terrible pogroms against Jews. The two men agreed to encourage the emigration of Jews from Russia, as a way to keep Jews away from the revolutionary movements threatening the Tsar.

While it’s often argued that opponents of Israel are antisemitic, scientific research points in the opposite direction. As Peter Beinart notes in Jewish Currents, studies show that people who support Israel are actually more likely to agree with antisemitic statements such as: “Jews have too much influence in this country.” Pro-Israel countries tend to be anti-Jewish, and vice versa. It sounds contradictory, but it has a certain logic: Just like in the past, people who don’t like Jews are happy for them to be far away.

‘Whether people like Israel or not’: What six words in a Trump post reveal

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-893539

Israel has just fought shoulder to shoulder with the US, yet Trump's choice of words suggests that Israel has shifted from a broadly accepted ally to a debated one.

Just days before Independence Day, US President Donald Trump on Sunday posted a message on his social media platform praising Israel and extolling it as an exemplary ally.

“Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart, and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard and knows how to WIN!”

Those words should put a smile on the lips of every Israeli. They should, but it is the opening six words that linger: “Whether people like Israel or not.”

The emphasis is not on what Israel represents or how that aligns with American values, but rather on what it delivers. This is a subtle yet significant shift – a more transactional framing: Israel moving from a natural partner to a useful one. This framing reflects a broader and troubling reality: Israel has become a dividing line within American politics, part of the culture-war terrain rather than, as it once was, a rare point of consensus.

Trump says talks to take place Tuesday, as Iran says it has ‘no plans’ to attend

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-us-iran-talks-to-take-place-tuesday-threatens-no-more-mr-nice-guy/

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that talks with Iran on extending the ceasefire would resume on Tuesday, while the Islamic Republic indicated it was not planning to send a delegation and was pessimistic about the prospects of the talks.

Trump told Fox News that White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would be heading to the Pakistani capital Islamabad for the negotiations, and if Tehran does not agree to a deal, the whole of Iran would be “blown up.”

He told the outlet that bridges and power plants in Iran would be targeted, repeating his threat to target civilian infrastructure — plans that appeared to have been halted after the ceasefire was reached nearly two weeks ago. The break in the fighting is set to expire on Wednesday if an extension is not agreed upon.

Antisemites supporting Israel is weird. Jewish support of them is even weirder

 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/27/jewish-antisemitism-support-israel-gaza-zionism

Perhaps the most bizarre spectacle of the past month has been watching some of the world’s most wretched antisemites lining up to give their unalloyed support to Israel. Even more jarring has been their embrace by those who are supposed to advocate for Jewish safety.

In the US, there is Donald Trump, whose election was heralded by antisemites’ biggest public rally in the US in a generation, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yet because Trump was also demonstrably pro-Israel in his foreign policy stances, notably moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, he receives ongoing support and endorsements from many pro-Israel pressure groups. Some of them were nervous when he criticised Israel’s lack of military preparedness for the Hamas attacks, but he’s now back in the fold, adding “#IStandWithBibi”to his Truth Social posts.

The rationale behind these reactions is twisted and wrong: Israel is supposed to be a homeland for Jews from the horrors of the pogroms, the Holocaust and antisemitism. Yet we are now reaching an illogical conclusion where organisations supposed to protect Jewish rights turn a blind eye to antipathy towards Jews as long as proponents support Israel.

Netanyahu fails the 'no' test

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/19/netanyahu-fails-the-no-test/

The ceasefire imposed on Israel in Lebanon, following the ceasefire imposed on it in Iran, following the ceasefire imposed on it in Gaza, has left Israel in a troubling position in which it is once again failing to convert the many operational achievements of the IDF into a strategic outcome.

In fact, after 925 days of fighting since October 7, Israel has failed to achieve a decisive result on any front. Hamas remains standing and is engaged in rapid reconstruction. Hezbollah survived a severe campaign and hollow threats of destruction. Iran may emerge from the confrontation stronger than before. Israel did inflict heavy damage on all three, as well as on the Houthis in Yemen, but by the end of the campaign it is seen as a country whose affairs are decided not in Jerusalem, but in Washington.

In a speech he delivered in the Knesset while in opposition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that an Israeli prime minister is judged by one thing alone: his ability to say "no" to the president of the United States. In practice, against Donald Trump, Netanyahu failed. The US president's post on Friday, in which he said in large letters that he was forbidding Israel from attacking in Lebanon, was not only an operational directive. It was a public humiliation and a severe blow to Israeli power and deterrence.

Trump, it seems, is tired of wars. He is looking for a quick and elegant exit before being dragged back into them. In Iran, there is indeed a gap between his optimistic posts and the reality on the ground, in which the Strait of Hormuz was closed again, one day after reopening. But even Israeli officials involved in the talks believe that, at the moment, the space for agreement between the sides is greater than the space for disagreement.

The Pro-Israel Right Is Shifting the Definition of Anti-Semitism

 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/anti-israel-anti-semitism/683765/

Extraordinary claims—such as the charge that the Jewish senator from Vermont is anti-Semitic to the point of spreading ancient slanders against his own people—require extraordinary evidence. Yet large segments of the conservative and even centrist wings of the American pro-Israel movement have whipped themselves into such a frenzy of paranoia that they are making accusations like this without much effort at justification.

Conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism is not new, but it has exploded in the post–October 7 era, in which the rising menace of genuine Jew-hatred on the left and right alike has been accompanied by a growing chorus of hyperbolic, bad-faith accusations. This dynamic might seem paradoxical, but the two phenomena exist in a natural symbiosis. Anti-Semites often insist they are being targeted merely for criticizing Israel; their defense becomes more effective when many people are, in fact, being called anti-Semitic merely for criticizing Israel.

Zionist antisemitism

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_antisemitism

Zionist antisemitism or antisemitic Zionism refers to a phenomenon in which antisemites express support for Zionism and the State of Israel. In some cases, this support may be promoted for explicitly antisemitic reasons. Historically, this type of antisemitism has been most notable among Christian Zionists, who may perpetrate religious antisemitism while being outspoken in their support for Jewish sovereignty in Israel due to their interpretation of Christian eschatology. Similarly, people who identify with the far right, particularly in Europe and the United States, may support the Zionist movement because they seek to expel Jews from their countries and see Zionism as the least complicated method (in comparison to ethnic cleansing or genocide) of achieving this goal and satisfying their racial antisemitism.[a]

Pentagon defends Hegseth's use of 'Pulp Fiction prayer'

<

No rockets but no relief: Nahariya residents see no end to war despite Lebanon ceasefire

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-rockets-but-no-relief-nahariya-residents-see-no-end-to-war-despite-lebanon-ceasefire/?utm_source=The+Weekend+Edition&utm_campaign=weekend-edition-2026-04-19&utm_medium=email

After six weeks of relentless Hezbollah attacks, residents of northern Israeli city feel bewildered and betrayed by the government’s seemingly sudden decision to stop fighting

“We’re not naïve,” said Guetta, whose parents immigrated to Israel from Libya. “This isn’t the end of this war or the end of the wars. As long as we’re here, there will be war.”

“The government capitulated to Iran and the United States,” Attias said glumly. “The Iranians say, ‘Yes, yes,’ but they do what they want.”

Snakes & ‘insane’ rants: SEE Trump’s decline as reported by NYT, WH Vet SPEAKS

‘What kind of DELUSIONAL reality are we living in?’: Manosphere bros SICK of Trump as MAGA fractures

As Trump claims ‘no sticking points’ and that deal possible in days, Iran insists he’s lying

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-no-sticking-points-at-all-predicts-deal-with-iran-could-come-in-days/

President says US will remove Iran’s enriched uranium ‘at leisurely pace,’ but Iran denies it; also claims Iran will stop backing Hamas, Hezbollah; US and Iranian officials say significant gaps remain

US President Donald Trump signaled growing optimism Friday about a potential deal with Iran to end the war amid a temporary ceasefire, saying negotiators could meet as soon as this weekend and that an agreement may be reached within days. He boldly claimed there were “no sticking points,” even as US and Iranian officials cautioned that major key issues remain unresolved.

The US leader spoke with several news outlets Friday and issued a long series of posts on his Truth Social network, following the Iranian announcement that it had opened the Strait of Hormuz as a response to the Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon, with Trump predicting a deal to permanently end the war in a matter of days and saying that the US would remove Iran’s enriched uranium at a “leisurely pace.”

Iran swiftly denied any readiness to relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and it did not confirm another Trump claim, that it was ready to halt its support for proxy terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah — issues that have hitherto prevented an agreement.

IDF soldiers face threat from IEDs as Lebanon ceasefire terms prove weaker than previous deal

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkb1ik11azl

Two days after the ceasefire in Lebanon took effect, it is already clear that its terms are less favorable than those agreed following Operation Northern Arrows at the end of 2024. Now, the main concern in the IDF is improvised explosive devices planted before the ceasefire in areas under Israeli control.

One such device in the village of Jabin, about 3.5 kilometers from the border, killed reservist paratrooper Barak Kalfon, 48, from the community of Adi in the Jezreel Valley on Saturday. Three other soldiers were wounded in the incident, two moderately and one lightly. Kalfon was among the first to enter the structure alongside the company commander. During the search, the explosive device planted by Hezbollah detonated. The initial assessment is that it was not remotely triggered.

Similar incidents have occurred during ceasefires in the Gaza Strip, and the IDF is placing particular emphasis on the threat. Defense Minister Israel Katz paid tribute to Kalfon, saying: “Barak was a brave and dedicated fighter and a devoted family man. In his civilian work as an engineer at Rafael, he made a significant contribution to Israel’s security, combining the highest level of professional commitment with many years of meaningful reserve service in defense of the state.” 

Trump declares war in Lebanon over

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423124

Updated US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran still holds a significant arsenal, amounting to roughly half of the capabilities it had before the outbreak of the conflict with the United States and Israel.

According to the data cited by The New York Times, Iran currently possesses 60% of its missile launchers and 40% of its UAV (drone) capabilities.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have once again reached a peak following a decision by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to once again close the Strait of Hormuz-less than a day after announcing its reopening following the ceasefire in Lebanon.

On Saturday, the IDF said that since the ceasefire came into effect, IDF soldiers south of the "yellow line" in southern Lebanon have identified in several incidents in which terrorists violated the ceasefire understandings by approaching from north of the yellow line toward IDF soldiers, posing an immediate threat.

Following their identification, and in order to remove the threat, the Israeli Air Force, together with ground forces, conducted precise strikes against the terrorists.

Artillery fire was carried out in support of the ground troops operating in the area, and terrorist infrastructure sites used to facilitate attacks were struck in response to the threats.

Earlier on Saturday, IDF soldiers identified a terrorist cell that violated the ceasefire understandings and approached IDF soldiers operating south of the ''yellow line" in southern Lebanon, a defense line dedicated to preventing an imminent threat to Israel’s northern communities.

Iran's Revolutionalry Guards 'mosquito fleet' is a serious threat in the Strait of Hormuz

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjxpoi11a11x

 Despite U.S. claims of crippling Iran’s navy, the Revolutionary Guards’ fast-boat fleet continues to enforce a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, using guerrilla tactics and hidden bases to disrupt global oil shipping routes; they have been a nuisance in the Persian Gulf for decades

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly boasted that Iran’s navy was almost entirely destroyed in the war, but he has largely ignored the fact that another Iranian naval force — that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), rather than the regular Iranian navy — remains operational and continues to pose a significant threat to ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC /navy relies on small, fast boats that are hidden in fortified bases along Iran’s coastline or on islands in the strategic waterway. Although the U.S. military has sought to destroy them as well, it has acknowledged that only about half have been sunk so far, without providing exact figures.

Using these boats, which are sometimes armed with missiles or drones, along with concealed launch sites near the strait’s shores, Iran has continued to enforce its blockade of the strategic passage through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply normally flows. 

Netanyahu shocked Trump 'prohibited' strikes on Lebanon, believes it inconsistent with ceasefire

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-893414

Trump’s public remarks appeared to exceed the text of the US-backed truce, prompting Israeli officials to seek clarification while clashes on the ground continued.

Israel was surprised by US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the IDF is “prohibited” from continuing strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to a Saturday Axios report.

The report noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “personally stunned and alarmed” by the post, and that Israeli officials sought clarification from the White House.

This comes after Trump posted on Truth Social that Israel was prohibited from “bombing Lebanon any longer,” and that the US will work with Lebanon separately and “deal with the Hezbollah situation in an appropriate manner.”

FBI Director Kash Patel bashes media over Atlantic story, threatens lawsuit

 https://thehill.com/homenews/5838055-fbi-director-kash-patel-bashes-media-over-atlantic-story-threatens-lawsuit/?__vfz=medium%3Dconversations_top_pages

FBI Director Kash Patel has threatened to sue The Atlantic after the magazine reported that his colleagues have grown alarmed by what it described as episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.

The magazine published a story on Friday titled “The FBI Director Is MIA,” citing conversations with more than two dozen people, including current and former FBI officials, members of Congress, hospitality-industry workers and others.

“Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information and private conversations, they described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability,” reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick wrote.

The report stated that Patel has been known “to drink to the point of obvious intoxication” in front of White House and other Trump administration staff and that on multiple occasions within the past year, “members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated.”

IDF confirms strikes on Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, in first since ceasefire

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-confirms-strikes-on-hezbollah-operatives-in-lebanon-in-first-since-ceasefire/

Army says it acted in accordance with deal, which allows Israel to strike in ‘self-defense’; Hezbollah official says terror group ‘not concerned’ by Israel-Lebanon talks

The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed carrying out several strikes in southern Lebanon over the previous day against Hezbollah operatives who “violated the ceasefire understandings,” in the first such action since the truce took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday.

The announcement of the strikes came a day after US President Donald Trump said that Israel was “prohibited” from bombing Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, though a US official later clarified to The Times of Israel that while IDF can not carry out any offensive military operations, the terms of the truce allow it to carry out defensive strikes against “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

This is the scariest question about Putin — and Trump

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/16/russia-putin-threat-europe-nato-raises-questions-about-trump/

Russian President Vladimir Putin, always paranoid about enemies, may be feeling cornered this spring. His army is at a standstill in Ukraine, despite suffering enormous casualties. He appears powerless to help Iran, one of his few allies. And his best friend in Europe, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, just got dumped.

Here’s Rumer’s stark warning: “Having invaded Ukraine under the false pretext of needing to secure its western flank, Russia is poised to emerge from the war less secure, more resentful, and more threatening to Europe than before the war. Its threat perceptions will cast a long shadow over Europe.”

Putin is a risk taker, as his invasion of Ukraine showed. What if he decides that his window of opportunity to challenge NATO and impose a new order is closing? In the most ominous passage of his report, Rumer writes: “If Putin is truly intent on imposing his vision of European security on the continent, he may decide that time is not on his side, as Europe is racing to rearm, and launch an attack against a Baltic neighbor to demonstrate that NATO’s Article 5 is essentially a dead letter.”

What would Trump do if Putin struck a European country? For me, that’s the scariest question. Trump spends so much time bad-mouthing NATO that Europeans already doubt the credibility of American security guarantees. His latest anti-NATO tirades have focused on its refusal to aid the United States and Israel in the Iran war. Before Rutte visited Washington this month, Trump called NATO a “paper tiger” that “Putin’s not afraid of.”

Rabbi Max Refuah Shleimah

 

Iran restores ‘strict management’ of Hormuz Strait as US blockade persists

 https://thehill.com/policy/international/5837564-iran-strict-control-strait-of-hormuz-us-blockade/

The Iranian regime said early Saturday that it is resuming “strict” control over the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.’s naval blockade in the critical trading corridor and as the fragile two-week ceasefire nears its end.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the strait would return to its “previous state” and will be “under the strict management and control” of their military forces. 

The IRGC confirmed Saturday that it fired at two vessels in the waterway that “tried to bypass Iran’s authority.” This comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the strait was “completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire” for all commercial ships.