The British Mandate Is Over’: Israel Orders UK Officials Out of Gaza Coordination Center Over Judea and Samaria Boycott, and their consulate in East Jerusalem shut!
“I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” Rav Kook z"l
The British Mandate Is Over’: Israel Orders UK Officials Out of Gaza Coordination Center Over Judea and Samaria Boycott, and their consulate in East Jerusalem shut!
Adidas has apologized after pro-Palestinian activists targeted an Israeli campaign featuring Shalev Biton, a former IDF soldier who lost his left leg after being wounded during his military service in 2021.
Biton was one of 11 disabled athletes promoting Adidas’s “Single Shoe” initiative, which allows amputees and others with limb differences to buy only the shoe they need. His inclusion triggered outrage because of his IDF service, with actor Javier Bardem even calling for a boycott of Adidas.
Rather than simply stand behind an inclusion campaign featuring a disabled athlete, Adidas bowed to the backlash and apologized, stressing that the advertisement was only a local Israeli initiative: “It was never our intent to cause offense and we apologize for anyone affected.” The retreat is likely to fuel criticism that the company caved to political pressure over the mere inclusion of an Israeli veteran with a disability.
Tensions inside Agudas Yisrael escalated overnight following a contentious meeting between representatives of Gur and Sanz, after Sanz firmly rejected a demand that its representatives sign a written commitment sought by Gur.
According to a report by Kikar HaShabbos, the dispute erupted after Gur representatives sought a formal letter of commitment from Sanz, similar to an agreement that had reportedly been signed several years ago. Sanz rejected the demand outright, reportedly responding: “This will not happen. We are not repeating the same mistake twice.”
With the sides at an impasse, a senior Gur delegation traveled Monday night to Kiryat Sanz in Netanya in an effort to resolve the dispute. The Gur delegation included Motty Babchik, Yonatan Chassid and Chanoch Dranger, while Sanz was represented by Berl Stemer and Reichman.
During the meeting, the Gur representatives reportedly stressed the importance of their request and maintained that the demand had come from the Gerrer Rebbe.
But Sanz refused to budge.
“We are not subordinate to you. We also have a Rebbe, and his opinion and decision carry exactly the same weight as those of the Rebbes of Gur, Vizhnitz and Belz,” the Sanz representatives reportedly told the Gur delegation.
Sanz further made clear that the chassidus answers to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the Sanzer Rebbe, and would not accept the authority of another chassidus.
According to the report, Gur ultimately withdrew its demand for the written commitment after it became clear that Sanz would not agree to sign it.
The confrontation comes amid broader turmoil inside Agudas Yisrael surrounding the party’s Knesset slate. The dispute intensified after Gur moved to remove Sanz representative MK Moshe Shimon Roth from the fifth position on the Agudas Yisrael list.
Hours after the initial report, a statement issued in the names of Gur’s Central Faction and the Sanz community said the sides had reached an agreement following talks held “in a positive atmosphere and with mutual understanding.” Under the reported agreement, the representative of the Sanzer Rebbe would receive the fifth position on the Agudas Yisrael Knesset slate.
The statement added that the arrangement was intended to increase representation for the various kehillos and promote cooperation on communal and religious matters.
The U.K. government said Tuesday that France and Canada will join it in banning goods from Israeli West Bank settlements.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said that the countries are part of an international coalition. He said that Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden have pledged to “support further action.”
The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway have either banned goods from settlements or are in the process of doing so, he said.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly urges Israel to recognize Argentina’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) as British-occupied territory and impose sanctions on the UK until the occupation ends.