Duty-free cigarette tax exemption to be fully canceled in Israel

 

The Knesset Finance Committee on Monday approved today Amendment No. 9 to the Customs and Exemptions Tariff Order, under which the tax exemption on importing tobacco products into Israel will be gradually phased out until its complete removal in June 2028.

The exemption had previously applied to the import of tobacco, cigarettes, and e-cigarette liquids from abroad.

According to estimates by the Israel Tax Authority, the order is expected to generate approximately NIS 50 million in 2027, NIS 70 million in 2028, and around NIS 100 million annually thereafter, once fully implemented.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health’s latest annual smoking report revealed that one in five Israeli adults smokes — a rate 30% higher than the global average — while efforts to quit lag significantly, with cessation rates 50% lower than the OECD average.

A separate Ministry of Health survey found that 53% of teens experimenting with tobacco products first try electronic cigarettes. Use of flavored smoking products is widespread: 88% of teens use flavored shisha, 82% flavored e-cigarettes, and 45% flavored cigarettes or rolling tobacco.

Among haredi youth, a new survey found that 54% of students in ultra-Orthodox high schools, and 80% of youth in dropout programs aged 12-17, have tried smoking products.

Despite laws requiring municipalities to enforce bans on smoking in public spaces, compliance remains low. While 82 local authorities reported activities under the smoking prevention law in 2024, more than 65% did not submit required reports, and enforcement remains inconsistent even among those who did.

Israeli Mayor Bans the Israeli Nazi Paper Haaretz

Arad Mayor Yair Maayan announced on Friday that he would ban the left-wing daily Haaretz from his city over what he said was a “false blood libel” in a feature article accusing the Israeli Defense Forces of “deliberately” firing on Gazans near aid distribution sites.

“The municipality will not allow false incitement against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel, certainly in times of war. The municipality will act to prevent the entry of the inciting newspaper into the city in accordance with the Prevention of Incitement Law,” Maayan told JNS.

The mayor wouldn’t say if the ban would include door-to-door deliveries of Haaretz to subscribers, although that number is likely negligible given the newspaper’s relatively small Hebrew print distribution.

The Haaretz article, by Nir Hasson, Yaniv Kubovich and Bar Peleg, titled, “‘It’s a Killing Field’: IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid,” cites anonymous Israeli soldiers and officers who accuse the IDF of firing on Gazans using tanks, artillery and snipers to prevent them from approaching areas where they weren’t permitted.

The IDF rejected the accusations, saying its directives “prohibit” intentional attacks on noncombatants. “The IDF did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centers,” the IDF Spokesman’s Office said in a statement.

 

Non-Jewish Fox News anchor says she ‘100%’ questions faith of Jewish lawmakers who endorse NYC’s Mamdani

 

Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner said she “100 percent” questioned Jewish politicians’ “commitment to Judaism” if they endorsed progressive New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, all while her co-host Emily Compagno accused Mamdani of not condemning the Holocaust or speaking out on antisemitism.

Meanwhile, the remarks from Faulkner – who herself is not Jewish, though her husband is – sparked pushback from liberal Fox News pundit Marie Harf, prompting the daytime anchor to double down on policing the religious devotion of Jewish Democrats.

“The same way I would question Chuck Schumer, who works against the interests of his own people at times for the politics,” she exclaimed, adding: “And that’s what they’re doing here.”

Since his upset victory in the Democratic primary last week, Mamdani – a 33-year-old democratic socialist who energized young voters with his campaign focused on affordability – has been the target of Islamophobic attacks from conservatives due to his Muslim faith.

President Donald Trump has suggested that he would defund New York City if Mamdani is elected, all while claiming “New York City has fallen” and falsely labeling him a “communist.”

Listen to Jen Airley the Mother of a Fallen Soldier... What Emuna! What Bitachon!

 

Trump Tweets That He Is Not Talking to the Iranians and not Offering them Anything!

 

"An interactive map showing the IDF's progress in Gaza during Operation ‘Gideon's Chariot.'"

 

AI video shows Netanyahu, exiled Iranian prince united in Tehran

 

Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology Gila Gamliel (Likud) published an AI-generated video on social media titled "Next Year in a Free Tehran."

The clip opens with establishing shots of Teran. It then quickly jumps to showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, walking arm-in-arm down a street in the Iranian capital.

The video also shows shots of Minister Gamliel and her husband, as well as exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and his wife walking in a similar setting.

It concludes with Israeli and Iranian imperial flags side-by-side.

In 2023, Gamliel hosted Crown Prince Reza in Israel, where he met with officials and participated in the official opening ceremony to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Welcoming him upon his arrival, Gamliel stated: "Together, through a common vision, we will take the first step in building bridges and collaborations between the two peoples."

These are Syria's conditions for Israeli accord

 Lebanon’s LBCI channel reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with developments in Syria, about Syria’s conditions for a peace agreement with Israel.

According to the report, the conditions include Israeli recognition of the regime of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, withdrawal from territories captured by Israel since last December and from the buffer zone in the Golan, a halt to Israeli airstrikes in Syria, and security arrangements in southern Syria — particularly along the border and the tri-border area with Jordan.

Most importantly, according to the report, Syria is demanding US guarantees for the agreements and American support for the Syrian regime.

In return, Syria would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Axios reported earlier this month that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed interest in launching US-mediated negotiations with the new Syrian government.

According to the report, Netanyahu conveyed his interest during a recent meeting with US Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack. The Prime Minister is aiming to reach a revised security agreement with Damascus, ultimately leading to a full peace accord. This would mark the first direct diplomatic engagement between Israel and Syria since 2011.

The Israeli approach follows a shift in regional dynamics after al-Sharaa replaced the Assad regime. According to the Axios report, while Israeli officials initially voiced concerns over al-Sharaa's Turkish ties and urged Washington to proceed cautiously, President Donald Trump's recent meeting with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, followed by the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, prompted Jerusalem to reassess its stance.

On Sunday, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, an American rabbi who recently met in Damascus with al-Sharaa, said he believes a meeting between al-Sharaa and Netanyahu is not out of the question - as long as it is initiated by Trump.

In an interview with Kan News, Rabbi Cooper shared his impressions of al-Sharaa and said, “It’s true he’s an Islamist, but al-Sharaa speaks of a vision for his country that includes a united Syria with one army and equal rights. If he can achieve that, it would be a game-changer.”

Addressing potential relations with Israel, Cooper outlined two possible paths: short-term de-escalation and a political meeting brokered by Trump. “The only quick path would be if someone named Donald Trump invited both leaders — Israel’s Prime Minister and Syria’s President — to Washington to sit together for a few hours. That could change everything.”

According to Cooper, Syria’s president told him that resolving the conflict with Israel was a priority. “We intend to continue advancing this,” Cooper said, adding that al-Sharaa had expressed genuine interest in peace.

A doozy of an anti-Netanyahu/Trump two-fer

 

 You can’t make this stuff up. Yet Nir Hefetz—a state witness in the ongoing bogus trial of his former boss, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu—just gave it the old college try.

In an interview with Channel 12’s current-events program “Duach Matzav” (“situation report”), Hefetz made as assertion worthy of the same network’s left-wing satire program “Eretz Nehederet.”

But he and his hosts, well-known Bibi-bashers Yaron Avraham and Einav Galili, discussed the claim in earnest.

Listen to Danielle Renov Relate What Mothers went through During this Latest Iran/Israel War

 

Danielle Renov—best known as the creative force behind “Peas, Love & Carrots”—joins the Meaningful People Podcast not to share recipes, but to open up about something far more raw and real: living through war in Israel as a mother. In this emotionally charged episode, Danielle shares what life is like in Yerushalayim under missile fire, separated from her husband and holding down the home with extraordinary resilience. She opens up about fear, faith, and motherhood in a war zone—describing what it means to remain strong for her children while the world around her is shaking, quite literally. From her roots in the Five Towns to raising a family in Israel, Danielle speaks about the deeper spiritual mission of living in Eretz Yisrael, the complicated emotions surrounding Aliyah, and why she refuses to leave even in the most dangerous moments. This conversation is not just about war—it's about the strength of Jewish mothers, the reality of daily life in Israel, and the unshakable emunah that guides Danielle through it all. Hear how one of the Jewish world’s most beloved influencers was navigating some of the most difficult days of her life—with raw honesty, deep faith, and surprising humor.

DIN: Danielle relates that the boys that she had as Shabbos Guests couldn't understand why anyone would want to live in Israel! 

I have related in the past that I had and have Seminary girls for Shabbos and not one of them has any love for Israel! And I believe that the fault lies in the School system. 

The American R"Y are really by and large meraglim and so are the Rebbitzins in the seminaries, they are basically Lady Meraglim, they hate Israel, which is very interesting, because the Kli Yakar writes in Parshas Shlach that the RBS"O really wanted to send women as Meraglim! Women in general love Israel, but today, the lady mechanchim refuse to instill into their students a love for Israel!