Hassan Badir and His Son Eliminated in Airstrike on Beirut
There is a biblical prohibition of slaughtering an animal and its child on the same day!
אותו ואת בנו לא תשחטו ביום אחד
Wondering if this applies with Hamas!
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decided this evening (Monday) to temporarily resign from his position in the government in order to remove MK Yitzhak Kroizer from Otzma Yehudit from the Knesset on the grounds that National Security Minister Ben-Gvir is violating the terms of the coalition agreement.
A source in the Religious Zionism party told Arutz Sheva that "Otzma Yehudit's behavior is incomprehensible. It's a shame they are not fulfilling their commitment to return Sukkot to the Knesset, even though, at Otzma Yehudit's request, the coalition left MK Kroizer in the Knesset at the time of their party's withdrawal from the government."
"Sukkot and Kroizer are excellent national parliamentarians, but Ben-Gvir's refusal to fulfill his commitment and [carry out] the removal of these two players from the coalition is unnecessary and inappropriate," the source said.
The Otzma Yehudit party was restrained in its response, stating, "We will not get into unnecessary quarrels in the coalition. If it doesn't work out, we don't need 'Norwegian' MKs." The party noted that they have found a new role for Kroizer, outside the Knesset: "He will be appointed director-general of Otzma Yehudit."
Religious Zionism party director-general Yehuda Wald wrote, "We kept Kroizer in the Knesset for two months in the place reserved for Religious Zionism, even though Ben-Gvir and his party withdrew from the coalition and expelled Zvi Sukkot from the Knesset. Now they have realized that they were wrong and returned to the government. Welcome back. Now, despite explicit agreements, they refuse to abide by the agreements and return Zvi to the Knesset. Itamar demands jobs and a ministerial position that is unnecessary at the expense of the Israeli people in the middle of a war. Childish behavior."
Early last month, during a family trip to Tel Azeka, near Beit Shemesh, 3.5-year-old Ziv Nitzan from Moshav Ramot Meir found an ancient scarab amulet, about 3,800 years old. “We were walking along the path, and then Ziv bent down – and out of all the stones around her, she picked up this particular stone,” recounts Omer Nitzan, Ziv's sister. “When she rubbed it and removed the sand from it, we saw something was different about it. I called my parents to come see the beautiful stone, and we realized we had discovered an archaeological find! We immediately reported this to the Israel Antiquities Authority.”
Semyon Gendler, Judah Region District Archaeologist, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, praised Ziv and her family for reporting the find and awarded her a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship. The ancient find will be included in a special display for Passover that the Israel Antiquities Authority has prepared at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, alongside other finds from the days of Egypt and Canaan, most of which are being displayed for the first time.
Dr. Daphna Ben-Tor, an expert in ancient amulets and seals, determined that the seal found by Ziv is a Canaanite scarab from the Middle Bronze Age – dating to about 3,800 years ago. She says, “Scarabs were used in this period as seals and as amulets. They were found in graves, in public buildings, and in private homes. Sometimes they bear symbols and messages, that reflect religious beliefs or status.”
The scarab seals are tiny ornate objects, originating in ancient Egypt and designed in the shape of a dung beetle. This beetle, considered sacred in the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, was a symbol of new life because of the dung ball it created and then laid its eggs into it, from which new life would hatch. Its name in Egyptian derives from the verb “to come into being” or “to be created”. This is because the Egyptians saw the scarab as a symbol of the incarnation of "God the Creator."
The scarab Ziv found was discovered at the foot of Tel Azeka – an important archaeological tel near Beit Shemesh. In this mound, evidence was discovered of many changing cultures over the course of history. Amongst other things, excavations by Tel Aviv University have revealed findings from the days of the Judahite Kingdom, including city walls, agricultural installations, and more. Tel Azekah was also known as a key feature in the biblical battle scene between David and Goliath, as described in the Book of Samuel (Samuel I 17:1).
“We have been excavating here for almost 15 years, and the excavation findings show that during the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze Ages, here in Tel Azekah, thrived one of the most important cities in the Judean Lowlands,” says Prof. Oded Lipschits, director of the Tel Aviv University archaeological dig, who even came to meet Ziv and her sisters at the tel. “The scarab found by Ziv joins a long list of Egyptian and Canaanite finds discovered here, which attest to the close ties and cultural influences between Canaan and Egypt during that period.”
According to Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu, “The seal that little Ziv found during a family trip to Tel Azekah connects us to a grand story, that of the ancient civilizations that lived in this land thousands of years ago. The scarab Ziv found also reminds us that in the Land of Israel, even children can be a part of discovering history.”
“Ziv and her family deserve praise for handing over the find to the National Treasures of the state of Israel,” says Eli Escusido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “Thanks to her, everyone will be able to see it and enjoy it. In honor of Passover, we will present the seal in a special exhibition set up by the Israel Antiquities Authority at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, alongside other findings from the Egyptian and Canaanite eras. In our public tours, we will present impressive items for the first time, including seals of the pharaohs, Egyptian statues, ritual vessels, and evidence of the Egyptian cultural influence in the Land of Israel – and everyone is invited!”
"Prime Minister Netanyahu met for a second time last night with VADM Sharvit regarding his appointment as the director of the ISA," the Prime Minister's Office wrote in a statement.
The office added: "The Prime Minister thanked VADM Sharvit for his willingness to be called on, but notified him that after further thought, he intends to consider other candidates."
Following the decision, Sharvit stated: "I was asked by the Prime Minister to take on the job of agency director and to continue serving the State of Israel during this difficult time - and that's what I did. This is with full trust in the ISA's ability to stand up to the challenges it faces today and a humble belief in my ability to lead it in this.
"Serving the good of the nation, its security, and the security of its citizens will always be above all," Sharvit added.
Netanyahu's announcement on Monday that he intended to appoint Sharvit as ISA Director was met with strong opposition from many in his own camp.
Sharvit, who completed his role as Navy Commander in 2021, has expressed his personal opinions on volatile issues after his discharge and even participated in the Kaplan protests against the judicial reform.
The opposition reached its peak when US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of the Prime Minister, called on Netanyahu not to appoint Sharvit, who, several months earlier, penned an opinion column attacking President Donald Trump and his environmental policies.
The U.S. military transferred a group of 17 alleged members of Tren de Aragua to El Salvador from Guantanamo Bay on Sunday night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Rubio said in a statement posted on X that the alleged gang members included murderers and rapists.
"In order to keep the American people safe, @POTUS designated the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations," Rubio said. "These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens."
Those transferred to El Salvador included Keivis Jesus Arrecheder Vasquez, a Venezuelan national and an alleged leader of Tren de Aragua, senior White House officials told Fox News. He has two criminal charges pending related to the intent to sell drugs.
The officials said six other alleged Tren de Aragua members were also transferred. All the individuals transferred were either citizens of Venezuela or El Salvador. Some have criminal charges pending, while most have been convicted.
These removals were done via Title 8, not the Alien Enemies Act, and all the individuals had deportation orders or final orders of removal, according to the senior White House officials, meaning the Trump administration did not violate a federal judge’s order halting the deportations.
U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg extended a restraining order on Friday against the use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, by the Trump administration to deport violent gang members with alleged ties to gangs.
Trump has since slammed Boasberg, accusing him and other "radical left judges" of hampering his ability to serve as president.
The Trump administration has deported hundreds of alleged criminal illegal aliens to El Salvador, where they are being held in the country's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured the prison last week ahead of a meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who opened the prison in 2023 as part of an ongoing effort to crackdown on powerful street gangs in the country.
Bukele addressed the recent transfer in a statement on X, saying the 17 individuals are "confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News in a statement that the Trump administration will continue going after illegal alien criminals.
"Every day, America becomes safer, thanks to the leadership of President Trump," Leavitt said. "If you’re an illegal terrorist or criminal – the Trump administration is coming for you."
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), testified last Thursday before the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) in a hearing titled “Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus: Ensuring Safe Learning Environments for All Students.”
The hearing, led by Chairman Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), marked a pivotal moment of bipartisan attention to the escalating threats faced by Jewish students in higher education.
Dr. Small’s testimony included details of ISGAP’s findings, showing that Texas A&M received over $1 billion from Qatar, Cornell nearly $10 billion, and Columbia University at least $7.17 million—none of which was fully disclosed to the US Department of Education, violating federal law. He also pointed to Qatari support for satellite campuses, like those in Doha’s “Education City,” where US university research intellectual property is contractually assigned to the Qatari government.
“Our research has also exposed the strategic use of third-party foundations, institutes, and businesses to conceal the identities of foreign donors,” Dr. Small said. “Universities fail to disclose the terms of foreign donations that may compromise academic independence and integrity. When foreign regimes use American universities to promote their ideologies, and those institutions accept this funding without transparency or accountability, we are complicit in undermining our democratic values.”
He called on lawmakers to enforce transparency laws for foreign donations, investigate universities receiving authoritarian funding, adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, and fully enforce Title VI protections to safeguard Jewish students. Dr. Small also stressed the need for comprehensive programs to critically study contemporary antisemitism.
Dr. Small was joined by a panel of witnesses, including Carly Gammill, Director of Legal Policy at StandWithUs; Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad); Rabbi David Saperstein, Director Emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; and Kenneth Stern, Director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate. Together, they presented compelling evidence of an increasingly hostile campus climate where Jewish students face harassment, intimidation, and exclusion for expressing their identity or supporting Israel.
In his testimony, Dr. Small presented findings from ISGAP’s “Follow the Money” initiative, which highlights a direct link between foreign authoritarian funding—particularly from Qatar—and the rise in antisemitism on U.S. college campuses. ISGAP’s analysis reveals that universities receiving funding from authoritarian regimes, including those from the Middle East, report 300% more antisemitic incidents than institutions that do not accept such funding.
Dr. Small explained that Qatari funding has skewed campus discussions, undermined academic freedom, and created environments where antisemitism is not only tolerated but sometimes encouraged: “ISGAP’s research has shown that donations from Qatar have significantly influenced antisemitic discourse and campus politics in US universities, while also promoting anti-democratic values within these educational institutions. Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, these influences have raised serious security concerns with both domestic and global implications.”
Actor and bombastic podcaster Michael Rapaport has trained his sights on socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), suggesting that the Jewish politician’s ancestors “would be disgusted” by his opposition to arming Israel in its current conflict with Hamas — pointedly invoking the deaths of his Polish relatives in the Holocaust.
Sanders set off the veteran character actor with a post Thursday on social media, accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in response to the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, that saw hundreds of Israelis taken hostages by marauders who indiscriminately killed civilians, including children, and sexually assaulted many women. Even after a punishing military incursion in Gaza (with ample warning for civilians to flee), the Palestinian people recently paraded the coffin of an Israeli child taken hostage at nine months old, illustrating the population’s unapologetic embrace of terrorism and unlimited warfare.
“Netanyahu’s illegal war has killed 50,000 Palestinians. Now, Trump wants to force out 2 million more to build a billionaire’s playground in Gaza,” Sanders wrote on X/Twitter. “That is ethnic cleansing — and it’s a war crime. Next week, I will force votes to block $8.8 billion in new arms sales to Israel.”
On Friday, Rapaport fired off a response: “While we are under threat on 7 fronts, why would a lifelong politician be calling for a stop to arms to ISRAEL? @SenSanders, your parents and grandparents would be disgusted with you. You’re a self-hating embarrassment.”
The Fallout actor continued with a parting shot at Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is also Jewish: “You and @SenSchumer need to take colonics together and cleanse your rotten souls. Shame on both of you. Old life long bull shit artists.”
About a half hour later, Rapaport got even more personal, invoking the deaths of Sanders’ extended family in Poland during the Holocaust.
“What kind of sick animal who’s [sic] own family was wiped out during the Holocaust, call [sic] for the stop of arms to Israel, while 59 hostages are being held since the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust,” he wrote. “You’re sick @SenSanders. When you think about his own families [sic] destruction it’s really twisted.”
Tablet magazine reported in 2015 that many people in Sanders’ father’s family were killed in Nazi camps:
[Bernie] and his brother Larry grew up in a modest apartment located off Kings Highway. Like many Brooklyn families, the Sanderses aspired to become middle-class Americans while living in the shadow of the Holocaust.
In 1921, Larry and Bernie’s father, Eli, left his family in Slopnice, a rural village in the South of Poland, and immigrated to the United States. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Slopnice’s wide-open fields were used for airdrops before the businesses and goods of the town’s local Jews were closed and confiscated. Most of Eli’s family was sent to concentration camps where they were killed.
Rapaport, who is Jewish, can also trace his family tree to Poland. The Deep Blue Sea star was an infamous hater of Donald Trump during his first term but dramatically turned on the Democratic Party after the horrific violence of October 7, eventually admitting he was wrong about Trump and praising the actions of his second administration
In a searing, gut-wrenching interview aired Sunday night on CBS’ 60 Minutes, former Hamas hostage Yarden Bibas relived the unthinkable horror of losing his wife Shiri and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were murdered in cold blood while in captivity after being kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.
The raw emotion in Bibas’ voice was only matched by the chilling cruelty of his captors, who he says taunted him with merciless words as he endured the nightmare of captivity.
“[Shiri and the kids] were murdered in cold blood, bare hands,” Bibas said to journalist Lesley Stahl. “They used to tell me—‘Oh, doesn’t matter. You’ll get a new wife. Get new kids. Better wife. Better kids.’”
Stahl, visibly shaken, struggled to comprehend the cruelty. “They said that to you?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, many times,” Bibas answered, his voice steady, yet filled with pain.
As the ceasefire ended and fighting resumed, Bibas made a desperate plea to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, urging him to halt the war in hopes of securing the release of the remaining hostages. His message was read aloud in the Knesset, a painful reminder of those still trapped in Gaza.
“We can’t keep fighting. There are still people who need to come home,” Bibas told Stahl.
When asked if he believed that continued fighting could lead to more hostage releases, he responded: “No.”
Among those still in captivity is Bibas’ childhood friend, David Cunio, who, along with his wife Sharon and their two daughters, was kidnapped. Though Sharon and the girls were freed in a prisoner exchange in November 2023, David remains in Gaza—a fate that Bibas cannot bear to accept.
Holding up a photo, Bibas spoke of a lifetime of friendship now overshadowed by uncertainty and fear.
“This is David. I know him from first grade. And this is his younger brother, Ariel… They’re both still in captivity. And… I don’t know if they’ve been given enough food, enough water. Especially now, with the war back on.”
His voice cracked with urgency as he made a desperate appeal on behalf of Sharon, who has already endured the unimaginable.
“Sharon must not lose her husband,” he implored. “This is the hardest thing I have to move with in my life, and David is not with me. I lost my wife and kids. Sharon must not lose her husband.”
In an earlier-released excerpt from the interview, Bibas made a direct appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump, pleading for intervention to bring the remaining hostages home.
“Please stop the war and help bring all the hostages back,” he urged.
When asked if he truly believed Trump could make a difference, Bibas did not hesitate.
“I know he can help. I’m here because of Trump.”
As the war grinds on and diplomatic efforts stall, the anguished voices of survivors like Bibas serve as a chilling reminder that for dozens of families, the nightmare is far from over.
The memory of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas is now a symbol of both unspeakable loss and an unrelenting fight for those still waiting in captivity. Their story is not over. Not until every hostage is brought home.
