https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388767
Terrible and terrifying for Jews. Israelis are overwhelmingly not leaving Israel for many reasons, including the fact that many are scared to travel to the US, especially to New York City and San Francisco.
https://www.newsweek.com/anti-israel-protesters-confused-about-meaning-ceasefire-opinion-1891343
As a Palestinian human rights activist who supports the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians, I am deeply troubled by the reactions of certain anti-Israel groups in the United States to the Islamic Republic of Iran's recent attack on Israel. Their exuberant celebrations and justifications for such aggression starkly contradict their professed commitment to peace and reveal a profound hypocrisy that undermines diplomacy and dialogue in the Middle East.
This weekend's Iranian attack was a calculated military aggression involving more than 300 projectiles, with around 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles aimed and fired directly at Israeli territory. The assault is simply a more overt continuation of the war that Iran has been waging since the 1979 seizure of power by the jihadist Ayatollahs, which it promotes in the chant: "Death to America, Death to Israel."
Iran asserts that the attack was an act of "revenge" or "punishment" against Israel for its targeted killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard General Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Damascus in recent weeks. The truth is that Iran launched this round of violence: Zahedi is known for his involvement in orchestrating the Oct. 7 massacre of more than 1,200 Jews in Israel by Hamas, including 30 Americans.
US President Joe Biden called on Congress to immediately pass an aid package for Israel and Ukraine, in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
Legislation has been stalled for months amid opposition from House Republicans fueled by former US president Donald Trump. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, informed GOP lawmakers on Wednesday that he will begin the days-long push to hold votes on the funding packages for Israel and Ukraine, as well as one earmarked for allies in the Indo-Pacific.
While both Israel and Ukraine “can capably defend their own sovereignty, they depend on American assistance, including weaponry, to do it, and this is a pivotal moment,” Biden wrote, pointing to strikes by Iran and Russia on Israel and Ukraine over the weekend.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/18/us-israel-rafah-meeting-00153043
The U.S. and Israel are holding another tense meeting on a future Rafah operation Thursday, a sign that Iran’s attack isn’t halting negotiations over Israel’s conduct in the war against Hamas.
Both sides are attending a virtual session, a senior Biden administration official and Israeli official told POLITICO, where senior leaders discuss how to target Hamas’ roughly 3,000 fighters in Rafah while protecting the city’s 1.4 million Palestinians. National security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to lead the conversation for the Biden administration. Sullivan’s Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, is heading his nation’s delegation.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-calls-un-sanction-israel-1891924
Russia is urging the United Nations (U.N.) to sanction Israel for failing to comply with a resolution that demanded a Gaza cease-fire during Ramadan.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 2728, which was passed by the council amid the Muslim holy month on March 25, called for an immediate halt to the hostilities, which began following the October 7 surprise attack by Hamas.
The resolution was passed by a 14-0 vote, with the United States abstaining over the omission of a clause condemning Hamas. Israel ignored the cease-fire demand, continuing its assault on Gaza through the end of Ramadan on April 9 and beyond.
Russia, which remains buried under an avalanche of its own international sanctions due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, objected to the lack of punishment for Israel during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday.
https://popular.info/p/americas-zombie-crime-wave
But is there a crime wave in America? Without a doubt, people believe that crime continues to surge. A Gallup poll found that 78% of Americans believe that there was more crime in 2022 than in 2021. (Only 13% believed it declined.)
Kuntress Kedushas Yisrael
The Making of a Hetter
An Analysis of the Recent
Hetter of a Giyores to a Kohen
Recently, many Gedolim and Roshei Yeshivos signed letters opposing a hetter that was given to allow someone who was muchzak as a kohen to marry a giyores. The Rabbonim did not mince words and blatantly called this hetter a great pirtzah in kedushas yisroel. Unfortunately, the wedding has already taken place, however the primary pirtzah is not merely the specific details of this particular hetter, rather the Rabbonim felt that the entire approach upon which the hetter was based was disturbing.
This presentation is being made in an effort to bring the details of this story to light. We welcome any response or feedback, and we would be grateful if this kuntress would provide the impetus for further clarification of the issues being raised. Much effort has been made to document factual and verifiable information, and to source the information as much as possible. The information presented is based on documents from the Beis Din being mattir, conversations with Rabbonim involved in the issue, and independent investigation of the facts presented.
We will begin with a timeline of events, after which we will present the written hetter of the Beis an analysis of this information
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388754
The US on Thursday vetoed a Security Council resolution to admit the Palestinian Authority as a full member state of the United Nations.
12 countries voted in favor of the resolution: Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Russia, South Korea, Mozambique, Malta, Japan, Guyana, France, Ecuador, China, and Algeria.
Two countries abstained – Britain and Switzerland.
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-activates-air-defenses-and-cancels-flights-27b6d416
Israel retaliated overnight against Iran’s massive drone and missile attack on its territory, people familiar with the matter said—with what appeared to be a limited strike aimed at avoiding an escalatory cycle that could push the countries closer toward war.
The strike targeted the area around Isfahan in central Iran, one of the people said. Iranian media and social media reported explosions near the city, where Iran has nuclear facilities and a drone factory, and the activation of air-defense systems in provinces across the country after suspicious flying objects were detected.
https://www.axios.com/2024/04/17/senate-dismisses-historic-impeachment-mayorkas-border-immigration
Senate Democrats on Wednesday quickly squashed impeachment charges against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a swift end to the GOP's attempt to oust him.
Why it matters:
Killing the charges without a full trial highlights how Democrats saw the impeachment as political theater, but Republicans argue it sets a dangerous precedent.
Senators voted along party lines to rule the articles of impeachment unconstitutional for not meeting the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.
While speculating about the jury selection and how Trump faces an uphill climb with the largely Democratic base of New York, Glenn suddenly admitted that the city wasn’t quite what he expected based on what he’d been fed by conservative media.
In a clip flagged by journalist Jacqueline Sweet, Glenn noted that he and his crew had driven in from Philadelphia on Sunday and spent the day “exploring” New York and came to the stunning realization that the city was fairly peaceful.
“I gotta say, I thought I would see more [of a] homeless situation here,” he said. “I thought I would see a little more chaos on the streets than, um, from what I’ve been told. And I didn’t see as much as I thought I would.”
The MAGA pundit went on to speculate that New York City Mayor Eric Adams may have “cleaned up certain parts of the city” in anticipation of the press coverage Trump’s trial would bring, adding that Adams could have “shifted” undesirable elements to “other parts of the city.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4600362-mayorkas-impeachment-dismissed-trial/
The Senate voted Wednesday to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, shutting down the possibility of a lengthy Senate trial, which Republicans had demanded to bring attention to the Biden administration’s record on immigration and border security.
It marked the first time in 225 years the Senate voted to immediately dismiss impeachment charges approved by the House instead of holding a floor trial or referring the matter to a special committee to review it.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for the development of "space laser technology" at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Israel has some of the best unmanned defense systems in the world," the controversial Republican congresswoman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a proposed amendment to legislation.
"I've previously voted to fund space lasers for Israel's defense. America needs to take our national security seriously and deserves the same type of defense for our border that Israel has and proudly uses," she added.
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-797675
The US has approved a potential Israeli Rafah operation in exchange for the Jewish state not conducting counterstrikes on Iran, according to a Thursday report from the Qatari newspaper The New Arab.
A senior official told The New Arab that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to obtain American approval for a military operation in Rafah, in exchange for [Israel] refraining from carrying out a wide military operation against Iran in response to its recent attack."
He claimed that "discourse of an Israeli response to Iran contradicts the desires of the American administration, and is not realistic, given the Israeli claims that the United States played the major role in repelling the Iranian attack and preventing its success."
