The Jerusalem Post - 11.10.2026 — 2026-10-11

THE JERUSALEM POST

Volume XCIV, Number 28665

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Dodim Cave

The Ein Gedi site that most visitors never see Page 6

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026 ■ 30 TISHREI, 5787

Nine days

The distance from Mamdani's antisemitism plan to his antisemitic Page 10

'Wild Things'

Jerusalem International

Film Festival returns

Page 16

'US recently pushed Israel to attack Iran alone'

Injuries as Riyadh airport targeted Trump says US to 'look at' joining Saudi strikes on Houthis

Zamir says return to war with Iran could postpone Israel election

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump departs for Tennessee at Joint Base Andrews yesterday. (Eric Lee/Reuters)

• By BEN CASPIT and ESTHER DAVIS

The United States pressed Israel to carry out a solo strike operation against Iran during discussions between the two countries over the past two weeks, sources told Maariv in a report published on Saturday.

According to the report, Washington wanted Israel to assume the political risks of a military operation ahead of the US midterm elections, rather than US President Donald Trump.

American officials reportedly believed Israel would be interested in striking Iran before its own elections, while a US operation ahead of the midterms could have negative political consequences for Trump.

Previous reports have focused on him “considering” a resumption of military strikes against Iran, with additional reports emerging recently.

However, the latest information suggests that the initial American proposal effectively • By TIMOUR AZHARI and ENAS ALASHRAY

EYAL ZAMIR

(Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

amounted to Trump directing Israel to strike Iran before the elections.

The US has since backed down from its demand, at least for now, the sources told Maariv, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position on the matter remains unclear.

Last week, Netanyahu's schedule was described as "very security-focused," and he held several "sensitive" meetings

See US, Page 7

RIYADH (Reuters) - Several people were wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, on Saturday, which forced a suspension of operations, the country's civil aviation authority said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but it came amid an escalation of missile strikes by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis against Saudi Arabia.

The airport had already been struck in two earlier attacks this past week that left four people dead and exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom's ability to defend itself as it wages war on the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia's early warning system did not issue an alert ahead of Saturday's incident.

The Saudi government's media office did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.

One eyewitness at the airport on Saturday reported seeing an explosion and then multiple people lying injured on the ground inside. More than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing towards the facility.

An injured traveler told

Reuters they saw something fly across the sky outside the airport before part of the ceiling near a departure gate collapsed.

Following the attack, US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters outside the White House, was asked whether the United States planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis.

"We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly," he said.

The US embassy in Riyadh said it was “aware of attacks” and “strongly recommends all US citizens avoid this airport and surrounding areas.”

The UK and Irish embassies in Saudi Arabia said in statements on X/Twitter that they were also aware of a “serious incident” at the airport. The Canadian embassy said that “ongoing military activity” had impacted operations at the airport.

Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed all flights to Riyadh had either been diverted or canceled, with only a helicopter hovering over the airport at one point.

Tehran retains missile, drone production capabilities, Page 3

Kuwait Airways said it canceled flights to and from Riyadh airport because of the "security situation" there.

Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways canceled multiple flights between their respective hubs and Riyadh, with some cancellations extending into Monday.

Houthi attacks on Thursday and earlier last week had already prompted several carriers to suspend or cancel services to the Saudi capital, shortly before Riyadh was due to host major energy and investment conferences.

Organizers of those conferences said on Saturday they would go ahead as planned and sought to reassure attendees of their security.

The Houthis have said airliners should avoid Saudi airspace, declaring it a zone of military operations after the Saudi-backed Yemeni government launched an offensive against the group earlier this month.

Netanyahu: Nobel Prize panel has lost moral compass by choosing Pillay

South African jurist and human rights activist, winner of 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, accused Israel of genocide in Gaza • US imposes sanctions on ICC

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE winner South African lawyer Navi Pillay addresses journalists after receiving the award at Nuremberg's Palace of Justice on Friday. (Frank Boxler/AFP via Getty Images)

• Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters

Awarding the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has drawn sharp criticism from both Israel and the US.

Pillay was given the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

She previously served as a UN high commissioner for human rights and as a judge at the International Criminal Court, and later chaired a UN commission of inquiry concerning Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee noted that this body, officially called the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including east Jerusalem, has drawn sharp criticism from Israel.

As part of this commission, Pillay's report found that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that she held states and national leaders accountable, brought hope to victims of violence and conflict, and demonstrated a firm moral compass throughout her long career.

"A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and

See NOBEL PRIZE, Page 7

Abbas postpones Palestinian elections until next September

Decree cites Israeli restrictions and conditions in Gaza as obstacles • PA has not held vote since 2006

• By ALI SAWAFTA, NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI and EMAN ABOUHASSIRA

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday postponed legislative elections due next month until September 11, 2027, and called a presidential poll for the same date, blaming Israel and the security situation in the Palestinian territories for the delay.

Abbas's decree cited “obstacles posed by Israeli measures” and the need to establish suitable political, security, and on-the-ground conditions for “free, fair, and inclusive elections,” the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

In a post on X/Twitter, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, pointing to the last Palestinian election having been held two decades ago, rejected Abbas's remarks as "yet another ridiculous lie

---

Abbas's failure, Page 9

designed to evade responsibility and accountability."

There were serious doubts that the PA vote would go ahead next month.

The Palestinians have not held legislative or presidential elections since 2005-2006, after which Abbas's rival, the Islamist group Hamas, seized control of Gaza, ousting his loyalists.

Abbas has governed by decree since his presidential mandate expired in 2009.

The PA held municipal elections in April in the West Bank and in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, the only city in the enclave to participate. The vote was the first election held in Gaza since 2006.

The decree said Israeli military attacks, settlement expansion, settler violence, and movement restrictions in the West Bank, along with Israel's continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, created challenges in preparing for and holding elections this November.

In Gaza, the decree pointed to “exceptional security and humanitarian conditions,” the incomplete withdrawal of Israeli forces, the lack of progress in reconstruction, and the failure to implement arrangements for deploying international stabilization forces and police.

The decree called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza to vote.

Israeli restrictions on access for election commission staff and international observers to Gaza and east Jerusalem also

See ABBAS, Page 7

Shas takes aim at Ben-Gvir in attempt to retain voters

• By ANNA BARSKY

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef's latest criticism of Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir marks the start of a strategy planned for the final weeks of the election campaign.

Shas has grown increasingly concerned about Otzma Yehudit's rising support among haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and traditional Jewish voters, including young people raised on the teachings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the late Sephardi

11/10/2026

הכלה

chief rabbi whose teachings inform Shas' spiritual tenets.

With less than three weeks remaining until the election, the party intends to intensify its battle for these votes.

Rabbis, led by Yosef, are expected to spearhead attacks on Ben-Gvir, while Shas lawmakers remain in the background. The strategy aims to win back voters who have gravitated toward Otzma Yehudit by emphasizing Shas' commitment to Ovadia Yosef's religious legacy.

Sources familiar with the campaign said the strategy had been prepared well in advance. It appears that the party has decided to reserve its strongest messages for the final two

Winter: Bibi can 'kiss my ass,' Page 2

Blocs tied in latest poll, Page 5

Golan: Khamenei assassination a mistake, Page 7

weeks before the elections.

Party officials feared that launching the attacks too early would diminish their impact amid the constant developments and campaign activity

See VOTERS, Page 7

Michigan's El-Sayed refuses to answer whether Israel or Iran a bigger threat to US

• By SHARON UDASIN/JTA

Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was asked multiple times by a debate moderator on Thursday which country he considers a bigger threat to the US, Iran or Israel?

Each time, he parried.

“That’s a ridiculous hypothetical because here’s what’s happening right now: our ostensible ally, Israel, has lobbied us to go to war with Iran,” said El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for US Senate.

"I don't consider an ally a country that takes us to wars we don't need to fight, and I don't want to be fighting wars we don't need to fight," he added, describing both Israel and Iran as "kind of dangerous."

Another attempt yielded a similar response: "One [is] at risk of attacking us, one [is] getting us into wars we have no business fighting."

El-Sayed, a former county health official, responded to a question repeatedly posed by WOOD TV8 political reporter Rick Albin in a debate against his Republican opponent, former US rep. Mike Rogers.

The two candidates hurled insults at each other during the hour-long discussion, often returning to issues related to Israel and the Middle East.

After criticizing Israel, a top issue in his primary campaign, El-Sayed eked out a victory against US Rep. Haley Stevens in that early August race.

Although he has earned the support of many Democratic socialists, including Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, El-Sayed has said he is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Rogers, meanwhile, has the official endorsement of US President Donald Trump. However, the candidate has been distancing himself from the president, including by criticizing the trade war with Canada.

A CBS News poll published earlier this week showed El-Sayed leading Rogers, 45.6% to 41.4%, with a 3.8% margin of error. A Quantus Insights poll released on Wednesday gave El-Sayed a slightly narrower lead, 47.6% to Rogers' 46.5%, with a 7.8% margin of error.

While El-Sayed has met with

ABDUL EL-SAYED (Jim Vondruska/Reuters)

Jewish voters and leaders, he has not budged on certain issues that concern many Jewish voters. For example, he has

See EL-SAYED, Page 7

Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq faces Iranian threats following US departure

KURDISH SPECIAL forces patrol on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq. (Khalid Al-Mousily/Reuters)

ANALYSIS

• By SETH J FRANTZMAN

Iran is increasing its rhetoric against Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

It also carried out a recent drone attack against the groups, one of more than 1,000 attacks carried out since February. US forces recently left Iraq, and this could leave the Kurdistan Region vulnerable to more Iranian attacks.

This has many implications. Two articles at Rudaw, a Kurdish media network based in Erbil, indicate the growing concerns.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) has rejected accusations by Iran's consul general in Erbil that Iranian Kurdish opposition groups are cooperating with foreign powers.

The dispute comes amid continued Iranian drone and missile attacks on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, where residents living near Iranian Kurdish opposition bases fear more strikes.

According to a Rudaw report, the KDPI responded on Friday to comments by Iranian Consul General Faramarz Asadi, who accused Kurdish opposition parties of allying because of pressure from foreign powers.

The KDPI defended the Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, announced in February, which brings together several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.

The alliance was a "political decision aimed at cooperation and coordination to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Kurdish nation in its own homeland. It is not evidence supporting the accusations Tehran has leveled against them," the KDPI said, according to Rudaw.

The party accused Tehran of refusing to recognize Kurdish political and national demands and treating the Kurdish issue primarily as a security threat.

Asadi told Rudaw in an interview aired Thursday that five Iranian Kurdish opposition parties formed their alliance shortly before the outbreak of the war in February under pressure from foreign powers.

"They formed an alliance from within [the Kurdistan Region's] territory and issued a statement declaring that they would stand alongside and cooperate with anyone who attacks the Islamic Republic," Asadi said.

Iran is clearly threatening the Kurdish groups. The message is that Iran wants to put pressure on the Kurdistan Regional Government authorities in Erbil to crack down on these groups. Otherwise, Iran will likely increase its attacks.

Asadi described the opposition groups as “terrorists” and called for their members to be handed over to Iran through Interpol.

"It is clear who the terrorists are and who the victims of terrorism are," the KDPI responded, in essence saying the Iranian regime is the real terrorist.

It also argued that using international mechanisms to return Kurdish opposition figures to Iran would violate protections for refugees and the principle prohibiting forced returns.

The KDPI noted that Iran had carried out more than 1,200 attacks against the Kurdistan Region since the outbreak of the war. Asadi did not rule out additional strikes, telling Rudaw that Tehran continued to consider US interests and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups potential targets.

Hours after the interview aired, two explosive-laden drones targeted a base belonging to the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan near Erbil, illustrating that Iran is using both diplomatic and military pressure.

According to a second Rudaw report, the Iranian drones struck the group's base in Rizgari, also known as Topzawa. A party official from Khabat said the attack caused material damage but no casualties.

The strikes have also affected nearby civilian communities, where residents said they are increasingly concerned about their safety.

"This is our situation, living in fear day and night. We have no life. I have been looking for a house to rent for a month. Around 20 families are living in rental houses. We can not even find a house for rent," Nazmi Saadi, a school principal, told Rudaw.

The report said some families have already evacuated their homes. There are no air defenses to stop the attacks. Iraq's central government has said it could take years to supply air defenses to the Kurdistan Region.

Farida Mohammed, a resident of Topzawa, told Rudaw that her relatives had urged her to leave: "I was told to leave the house tonight and go somewhere. It is not for a night or two. It is not pleasant to live in the house of a relative."

"I do not know [what to do]," she continued. "Sometimes I tell them [family members] to leave the house and leave me alone, but they do not accept it."

According to figures from Rudaw in the Kurdistan Region, it has faced over 1,000 drone and missile attacks by Iran and Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups since late February. The militias are supposed to disarm by June 2027.

The Kurdistan Region's authorities have repeatedly called on Tehran to halt the attacks.

The latest incidents highlight the growing security concerns facing both Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and civilians living near their facilities in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

Former Biden official: Netanyahu blocked July 2024 hostage deal, prolonged war by six months

• By IDAN KWELLER

Former Biden administration official Phil Gordon on Saturday rejected attempts by supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to portray Brett McGurk's new book and interviews as vindication of Netanyahu's conduct of the war in Gaza.

“Netanyahu supporters seem to be taking advantage of Brett McGurk’s book and interviews to claim vindication for Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza,” Gordon wrote in a post on X/Twitter.

"But while Brett's front-row account is valuable, that doesn't mean it is definitive or its perspectives widely shared – including among former members of the Biden administration."

"I would say most of my former colleagues think that president (Joe) Biden should have put more pressure on Israel to conduct the war differently and end it sooner," Gordon wrote, adding that "few think that the biggest mistake Biden made was to show daylight with Israel."

Gordon argued that even McGurk's own account showed that securing the release of the hostages was not Netanyahu's top priority, and that US pressure on Israel could produce results when it was actually applied.

As an example, he pointed to Biden's phone call with Netanyahu after the World Central Kitchen strike, saying that US pressure after that incident "worked."

Gordon said, however, that McGurk's account omitted another significant episode: a July 4, 2024 phone call in which Biden pressed Netanyahu to conclude a hostage deal after Hamas had, according to Gordon, accepted the basic framework.

"Hamas had finally accepted the basic framework, dropping its demand that Israel commit to a permanent ceasefire before any hostages were released," Gordon wrote.

Rather than agreeing, Gordon alleged, Netanyahu introduced a series of additional conditions “against the advice of his own security chiefs,” making a deal impossible for another six months.

Gordon said that during that period, nearly 9,000 additional Palestinians were killed and more Israeli hostages died, including the six hostages executed by Hamas in August.

Among the Israeli changes cited by Gordon was a demand that Israel retain forces “along Gaza’s entire border with Egypt,” which the IDF had seized only after the original proposal had already been made.

He also cited "a new enforcement mechanism to screen Gazans who were returning home to the north," which he said would have required Israeli troops to remain in central Gaza.

Gordon emphasized that both of those conditions were ultimately dropped from the agreement reached in January 2025.

Ex-Biden aide: No version of Gaza war 'vindicates' Netanyahu

Gordon went on to sharply criticize Netanyahu's broader handling of the war, arguing that nothing in McGurk's "book or elsewhere changes the reality that October 7 happened on Netanyahu's watch."

He accused Netanyahu of prioritizing “total victory” and “the maintenance of his coalition” over either a hostage deal or an end to the war.

Gordon also wrote that Netanyahu's conduct of the war and his management of its humanitarian consequences were “catastrophic,” arguing that they had left Israel “more isolated and insecure” and had “deeply damaged, perhaps irreparably, Israel’s relationship with the United States.”

The former Biden official said Washington should have done more “to change Israel’s conduct rather than enable it.”

"There was never an easy way forward in Gaza," Gordon concluded, "but no version of the story vindicates Netanyahu."

Kushner cites progress, challenges as he marks one year of Trump's Gaza peace plan

• By IDAN KWELLER

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, on Friday marked one year since an agreement was reached on Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, saying significant progress had been made in implementing the agreement over the past year.

Kushner highlighted several milestones, including the return of the 20 living hostages to Israel in October 2025, the return of the remains of the final hostage in January 2026, the establishment of the Board of Peace, and an international stabilization force, as well as the formation of a technocratic Palestinian administration to govern the Gaza Strip.

According to Kushner, humanitarian aid to Gaza has increased significantly since the ceasefire took effect. He also noted that Hamas signed a phased disarmament framework in July, though he acknowledged the process has yet to be fully implemented.

"The situation is far from perfect, but the progress is real, and the world is better off because of it," Kushner wrote.

Looking ahead, he said the coming year would require completing the disarmament process, establishing security, restoring essential services, and rebuilding communities throughout the Strip.

One of the key points that Kushner spotlighted was the disarmament of Hamas, something the plan might be far from achieving following recent reports about a new Hamas operation that will involve establishing defenses in Gaza City.

According to Friday intelligence presented to Israel's senior political and defense leadership – including the prime minister and defense minister – Hamas's leadership views its ability to withstand the IDF over the past three years as a form of “victory,” despite Israel's control of approximately 70% of Gaza.

Hamas considers Israel's territorial control "temporary," according to the information presented to officials.

“They are convinced that US President Donald Trump’s points-based plan for the Gaza Strip, which his son-in-law Kushner is advancing, including a plan for economic development involving tens of billions of dollars in investment, is a direct continuation of Sheik Ahmed Yassin’s vision from 1999,” a senior security official said. “They believe in it even if it is delayed.”

The senior security official added:

“They tell themselves, and we can see this, that by launching an attack with men wearing beards, jalabiyas, and flip-flops, and through their steadfast resistance against the IDF even after three years, they have not been defeated. They have not surrendered to an army that everyone says is the strongest in the Middle East, something no other Arab army in the Middle East has managed to achieve.”

According to the official, Hamas is therefore preparing for an IDF ground maneuver toward Gaza City, despite tensions between the terrorist organization's local leadership and Khalil al-Hayya in Qatar.

Meanwhile, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) confirmed the killing of two terrorists in the Strip this week, according to a joint statement issued Saturday.

Muhammad Abu Shalouf, a company commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)'s military wing who infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023, was killed in an airstrike on Wednesday. Musa Atef Musa Abu Dan, a Hamas Nukhba terrorist, was killed in a separate airstrike on Friday.

Both terrorists were planning attacks against IDF troops and working to restore their organizations' terror capabilities.

Winter: 'Bibi can kiss my ass' Candidate says his support for PM is not unconditional

\- By AARON GLICK

People of Israel party chairman Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter said that his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not unconditional in an interview with Channel 12's Meet the Press on Saturday, emphasizing that Netanyahu must abide by his party's demands if he wishes to retain that support.

"If not, then I'm telling you, Bibi can kiss my ass," he said when asked how he would respond if Netanyahu did not do so. "I mean this seriously; I don't work for a person."

The demands listed by Winter include a decisive military outcome in Gaza, emigration from Gaza, the passing of a law requiring haredi (ultra-Orthodox) citizens to draft to the IDF, and a right-wing coalition that does not depend on United Torah Judaism's Yitzhak Goldknopf for its 61st Knesset seat.

He told Channel 12 that he would refuse to sit in a government that does not work toward these goals, saying that his party will “not (be) part of it.”

He further described the government proposed by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot as "a danger to the State of Israel," due to its inclusion of Democrats party head Yair Golan and "Arabs."

"The time has come for true, responsible leadership that unites the true Right and brings it to fight for the people of Israel," he said. "I disqualify Yair Golan."

Winter described a previous conversation with Eisenkot in which he laid out his plan for emigration from Gaza.

"Hamas prepared this war for the built-up area, because it knew it couldn't stop the State of Israel," he explained.

“So it puts you in a fight in a built-up area with a population so that it can shout ‘Genocide,’ and the world will stop you. I said: ‘Separate the population, push them away, defeat them.’”

Asked if he ruled out the hare-di parties, Winter said that he was “not against the ultra-Orthodox community.”

"I respect Torah scholars," he said. "But the time has come. ... With Goldknopf, this won't happen, and we won't allow it."

Winter added that he plans to continue running his election campaign "to the end."

"I am a fighter," he stated. "I don't stop a fight in the middle, and I will say more than that: I have never abandoned my fighters."

Gantz announces he will continue campaign, despite polling below threshold

• By MAARIV

Benny Gantz's Blue and White party launched a new election campaign on Saturday ahead of the October 27 elections, despite recent polls showing that it is failing to cross the electoral threshold.

The campaign, launched under the slogan "Choose unity, save the country," seeks to appeal to voters who identify with neither political bloc.

The announcement comes as no recent poll has shown Gantz's party crossing the threshold.

"We are heading for disaster," warned Gantz. "We must stop and save the country. Politicians from both blocs oppose the unity that I am promoting with all my heart. They want a decisive victory.

"The divisions serve their political interests. They are leading Israel toward another election, toward narrow governments that will tear us apart from within and cause our enemies to attack us again."

BLUE AND WHITE party chairman Benny Gantz: 'To fight our enemies, I must fight for unity among us, and that is why I am staying in the race until the end.' (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

"I have decided not to surrender to our enemies," he continued. "To fight our enemies, I must fight for unity among us, and that is why I am staying in the race until the end."

He emphasized that "I do not belong to either bloc. Anyone who claims I am wasting votes is lying and afraid. Anyone who votes for me is voting for unity, not for the blocs. At least six mandates' worth of voters want to vote for us.

"To you, I say: You are not alone. Vote, and we will save the country."

Gantz also addressed his party's poor polling numbers in an interview with Yinon Magal and Ben Caspit on 103FM radio last week, insisting he didn't need anyone's permission to remain in the race.

"I do not need anyone's permission to continue running," he said.

"I conduct polls involving tens of thousands of people, and I know what to do. If you see the ballot, know that my trust in the public, and the public's trust in me, are important to me.

“That is why I promise that if my ballot is in the polling station on the 27th of this month, it means I am absolutely certain I will cross the threshold by a wide margin.”

"I have been below the electoral threshold before and ended up with eight seats," he said. "If presenting the State of Israel with what it truly needs is called 'humiliating myself,' then I am prepared to humiliate myself."

Iran retains missile, drone production capabilities despite months of US-Israeli strikes – report

Russia also reportedly supplying Tehran with weapons

• Jerusalem Post Staff

Iran has retained the ability to manufacture ballistic missiles and drones despite eight months of American and Israeli airstrikes, allowing Tehran to replenish its weapons stockpiles as US President Donald Trump debates delaying further military action until after the November midterm elections, Bloomberg reported on Friday. It cited Western officials familiar with intelligence assessments.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said that Iran had preserved parts of its weapons manufacturing infrastructure despite extensive strikes targeting its military-industrial capabilities.

One Western official assessed that Tehran still possesses significant stocks of ballistic missiles and certain anti-ship weapons, with the capacity to manufacture additional munitions relatively quickly.

The official also claimed that Russia has been supplying Iran with missiles, consistent with a separate intelligence assessment from June. Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.

White House disputes Iran military assessment

The findings contrast with repeated assertions by Trump administration officials that the US-Israeli military campaign has effectively dismantled Iran's ability to threaten American military installations and regional allies.

Trump previously described Iran's military as “totally destroyed,” while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on September 30 that US operations had destroyed Iran's “military industrial capacity” and “their entire defense base.”

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly rejected the Western officials' assessment, defending the effectiveness of American operations against Iran's nuclear and conventional military infrastructure.

“First, President Trump obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer,” Kelly said in a statement. “Then, Operation Epic Fury successfully destroyed the conventional shield that Iran sought to create over a nuclear program, including their ballistic missiles, production facilities, and navy.”

The extent of damage to Iran's missile industry remains disputed.

A SYMBOLIC MOCKUP of an Iranian missile is displayed in Tehran earlier this year. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters)

A September report, citing US and Middle Eastern officials, indicated that Tehran had resumed limited ballistic missile production using existing components, including at underground facilities, although manufacturing remained below pre-war levels.

Trump announced on Thursday that the United States would refrain from attacking Iran before the November midterm elections, after previously considering renewed military strikes amid its escalating attacks on international commercial shipping.

The pause could provide Tehran with additional time to restore production and replenish its arsenals, according to Western assessments.

Iran has intensified attacks on vessels operating near the Strait of Hormuz, with at least 10 ships struck over the preceding week, according to Britain's Royal Navy.

The attacks have increased concerns about maritime security and potential disruption to global energy supplies, particularly as the US continues its naval blockade of Iranian oil exports.

In September, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that it could deploy different weapons and strike new targets if Washington launched another offensive, signaling its intention to maintain military pressure despite the damage sustained

during the war.

Iran's remaining missile arsenal raises questions

The US-Israeli air campaign likely inflicted significant long-term damage on Iran's pre-war missile production infrastructure, according to an assessment by Jim Lamson, a former CIA analyst and visiting research fellow at King's College London.

However, the precise size of Iran's remaining arsenal remains uncertain.

Israeli estimates placed Tehran's ballistic missile stockpile at approximately 2,500 before the war, while Western intelligence assessments in June suggested Iran still possessed roughly three-quarters of its pre-war munitions.

Earlier IDF assessments indicated that extensive strikes on Iranian military-industrial facilities could require years of reconstruction, although the ability to restore launchers and other components remained a concern.

The discrepancy between assessments of Iran's remaining stockpiles and its manufacturing capacity highlights the difficulty of determining how much military capability Tehran can regenerate without further external assistance.

A separate August assessment described how Iran had used periods of reduced fighting to repair launchers, restore access to underground facilities, and accelerate efforts to rebuild missile and drone production. Analysts cautioned that such activity did not necessarily mean Tehran had recovered its full prewar capabilities.

For Washington and Israel, Iran's continued access to ballistic missiles and anti-ship weapons raises concerns about its ability to retaliate against renewed military action.

With the Islamic Republic facing mounting economic pressure from the US naval block-

ade, Western officials assessed that Tehran could increasingly rely on asymmetric operations, including attacks on maritime traffic, to impose costs on its militarily superior adversaries.

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WATCH THE DIPLOMATIC SUMMIT ON JPOST.COM AND OUR SOCIAL NETWORKS ON OCTOBER 13 AT 7 P.M. IDT.

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SPEAKERS

H.E. MICHAEL MANN

European Union's Ambassador to the State of Israel

H.E. MR. KORNELIOS

S. KORNELIOU

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Republic of Cyprus to

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BRIGADIER GENERAL (RES.) EREZ WIENER

Chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF)

BARAK GRABER

Acting CEO Mekorot

Davenport & Enterprise

JONATHAN GREENBLATT

CEO, Anti-Defamation

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DR. MIKE EVANS

Founder, Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem

CHANTAL BELZBERG

Co-Founder, OneFamily Fund

ERIN MOLAN

Australian Journalist

H.E. JESONI VITUSAGAVULU

Ambassador of the Republic of Fiji to the State of Israel

BINI ZOMER

VP of Regional Affairs,

Chevron Mediterranean

Limited

ROTEM PAPPE, ADV.

Honorary Consul General

of Germany

ZACH SAGE FOX

Founder of Think Again,

Street Smart

EYAL WALDMAN

Honorary Consul of

Kosovo

GAL GOREN

Kibbutz Nir Oz Member;

Son of October 7 Victims

GIDEON SA'AR

Foreign Affairs Minister

MIRIAM MATTOVA

Political Scientist

H.E. MS. INES DEMIRI

Ambassador of Kosovo to the State of Israel

MOSHE LION

Mayor of Jerusalem

SHAUL SCHNEIDER

Chairman of the Board,

Ashdod Port

DR. MOHAMED HAGI

Ambassador of

Somaliland to the State

of Israel

DANI YATOM

Honorary Consul of Guinea-Bissau

STANLEY MORAIS

Director Partnerships & International Affairs, EL

AL Israel Airlines

URI SHACHAM

Chief of Staff, Magen

David Adom

YAAKOV LIVNE

Deputy Director-General for Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

AMBASSADOR (RET.) RAN ICHAY

Head of Research at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy & Former Director-General of the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs

OLGA DEUTSCH

Vice President, NGO

Monitor

AYALA LONDNER

Director of Business Development, The Jerusalem Development Authority

AMI H. ORKABY, ADV.

Honorary Consul General of Korea and Mongolia; Dean of the Israeli Consular Corps

NAOMI KAHN

Director, Regavim

International Division

ALEX WINSTON

News Editor, The

Jerusalem Post

Founder & Managing Partner at Ace Capital Partners, Founder & Chairman of Aerospace Spirit

HON. NIKOLAOS K.

MARGAROPOULOS, ADV.

President of World

Federation of Consuls

(FICAC)

MAJ. GEN. (RES.) AMIKAM NORKIN

MAAYAN HOFFMAN

Chief of Strategy & Business Development, The Jerusalem Post

ANNA AHRONHEIM

Editor, Defense & Tech,

The Jerusalem Post

SYLVAN ADAMS

Businessman & Philanthropist

President, World Jewish Congress Israel

NATASHA HAUSDORFF

Founder and President,

The Center for

International Rule of Law

MORAN MANO Honorary Consul of Malta

INBAL ANN BOUSKILA

Moderator, The Jerusalem Post

For a full list of speakers and more information, go to www.jpost.com/Diplomatic26 or scan the QR code

BOAZ LEVY

Chairman of the Board,

Israel Aerospace

Industries

ANAT VIDOR President, World WIZO

ADDITION

ANNUAL FOR ARTIC COMPETITION

TITUN

MINUTY

SHANNA FULD

MC and Host, Jerusalem

Post Conferences

DANIEL LÖRCHER

Co-founder & Managing Director, What Matters gGmbH; Vice President, Borussia Dortmund

הַרְׁה

NGO

MONITOR

DR. NATHALIE

NEUENSCHWANDER

Honorary Consul of

Switzerland

ADL.

ELVALIN

בְרָאִיּוֹתָה

Latest polls: Coalition, opposition tie at 52 seats

\- By MOSE COHEN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party gained one seat this past week, bringing the coalition bloc into a tie with the opposition bloc at 52 seats each, according to the latest Maariv poll.

The newest statistic has emerged amid memorial events and protests marking the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 massacre.

The opposition bloc lost one seat after Yair Golan's The Democrats dropped by one, while the other parties in the bloc remained unchanged.

Within the coalition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit Party lost one seat, while the Religious Zionist Party gained one.

The Arab parties maintained their combined strength of 12 seats.

One survey question asked: "If elections to the Knesset were held today, which party would you vote for?"

Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar led the poll with 21 seats, followed closely by Likud with 20 and

Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad with 13. The Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu each received nine seats, while Otzma Yehudit secured eight.

The United Arab List, United Torah Judaism, and Shas each received seven seats, followed by the Religious Zionist Party with six and Ra'am with five. The People of Israel Party and the Reservists-Economic Party rounded out the list with four seats each.

The poll found that 78% of respondents were certain they would vote in the upcoming elections, while another 18% said they expected to vote. The remaining 4% indicated they were unlikely to cast a ballot.

Opposition supporters were more motivated to vote: 86% of those planning to support an opposition party said they were certain they would cast a ballot, compared with 81% of coalition supporters.

In head-to-head comparisons of candidates' suitability to serve as Israel's next prime minister, Eisenkot maintained his six-percentage-point lead over Netanyahu, receiving 46% support compared with the prime minister's 40%. This gap was unchanged from the previous poll.

Netanyahu, however, narrowed the gap with former prime minister Naftali Bennett to just two percentage points. Bennett received 44% support, compared with Netanyahu's 42%.

The prime minister also held a six-percentage-point lead over Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, receiving 44% support compared with Liberman's 38%.

Another finding was that 59% of the public oppose an Arab party joining the governing coalition after the elections, while 36% support it and 5% said they did not know.

By contrast, 53% of Israelis support including a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) party in the next governing coalition, while 41% oppose it and 6% said they did not know.

When asked whom they would prefer to serve as prime minister after the elections, 38% of Israelis chose Netanyahu, followed by Eisenkot with

24% and Bennett with 14%. All other candidates received single-digit levels of support.

The poll was carried out between October 7 and October 8 among a representative sample of adults. The Lazar Research Institute, led by Dr. Menachem Lazar, conducted the survey in cooperation with Panel4ALL.

A total of 4,667 people were invited to participate, and 700 completed it, matching the initial sample size. The maximum margin of sampling error was 3.7 percentage points.

AN AGONIZING LOSS

Family and friends of IDF Capt. Eliav Haim Tzapalamus, 21, attend his funeral at Haifa Military Cemetery on Friday. He was killed when a Humvee flipped during operational duties near the Litani River sector in southern Lebanon. (Sharon Leibel/Flash90)

Two Arab Israelis, one PA resident indicted for stealing IDF missile

• By MAYA ZANGER-SHAMIR

The Haifa District State Attorney's Office filed an indictment on Friday against three men who filmed themselves holding a stolen IDF MATADOR shoulder-fired missile.

Two of the men, residents of Shfaram aged 22 and 24, were arrested on September 5 in connection with the theft during a targeted operational activity conducted by the Northern District police, an IDF counterterrorism unit, and officers from the military's Northern Command.

During the investigation, a third suspect, 22, was identified then arrested after it was discovered that he was a West Bank Palestinian who had entered sovereign Israel illegally.

The Israel Police and Border Police have confiscated more than 700 deadly weapons this year in the fight against arms smuggling and violent crime, but police noted that the MATADOR shoulder missile stolen from the IDF was a highly unusual case.

In a similar targeted raid on Thursday, police and Border Police arrested four Palestinian residents of the West Bank on suspicion of owning illegal weapons.

Three suspects, two men in their 20s and a woman in her 50s, were arrested in the village of Jaba, near Nablus, and the fourth, a Nablus resident in his 40s, was arrested in a different village.

In Jaba, Israeli forces found 10 M16 ammunition magazines and hundreds of rounds of various other types of ammunition inside the suspects' home. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

In the case of the fourth suspect, Israeli forces observed a bag being thrown from a window as they arrived to search the home. The bag contained a pistol, magazines, ammunition, a face mask, and other combat equipment.

Authorities later took the suspect to Ariel for questioning. Following a court hearing, the suspect's detention was extended until October 26.

Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.

US restores Israel to highest anti-trafficking rank

had taken their passports or other documents.

• By SARAH BEN-NUN

The US State Department has returned Israel to Tier 1, the highest category in its annual “Trafficking in Persons Report,” after five consecutive years in Tier 2.

The 2026 report, published Thursday and covering government efforts from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026, found that the Israeli government fully meets the US minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking and recorded several key achievements during the reporting period.

The report said police opened 42 trafficking investigations in 2025, including 33 involving sex trafficking and nine involving forced labor, more than double the 20 investigations opened in 2024.

It said prosecutors also charged 19 alleged traffickers, compared with 13 the previous year.

The US State Department highlighted what it described as a February 2026 indictment against an employer accused of the forced labor of numerous foreign workers, the first such indictment in more than a decade.

However, the report also identified significant continuing shortcomings. It said courts convicted six traffickers during the reporting period, down from 11 in 2024, and recorded no forced-labor convictions. Of the nine sentences imposed, five included at least one year in prison.

The US State Department concluded that Israel had not adequately held labor traffickers criminally accountable.

The report said the government officially recognized 90 trafficking victims in 2025, down from 115 the previous year. It credited Israel with formalizing procedures for identifying Palestinian trafficking victims, increasing funding for victim-protection services, and expanding the number of labor inspectors.

At the same time, nongovernmental organizations cited in the report said the government continued to apply a high evidentiary threshold when deciding whether to recognize victims, sometimes requiring third-party witnesses and retraumatizing applicants.

The organizations said foreign and Palestinian victims remained under-recognized and that government services were difficult to access outside Tel Aviv.

Israel's increased reliance on private agencies to recruit foreign workers had left workers vulnerable to exploitation and debt bondage, the report added.

According to a government-commissioned study cited in the report, 73% of surveyed construction workers recruited privately had paid more than \$4,000 in recruitment fees. In comparison, approximately 20% said their employers

Nongovernmental organizations cited by the US State Department said some foreign workers had paid illegal recruitment fees exceeding \$25,000.

Enforcement against trafficking for prostitution and protection of victims remains deficient. Separately, a State Comptroller report published in July found that the police translated only 44% of their already limited intelligence on trafficking in persons into action in 2024.

The comptroller said enforcement against trafficking for prostitution, the protection of victims, and treatment services remained deficient and incomplete.

Under the US State Department's methodology, governments fall into four categories: Tier 1, Tier 2, the Tier 2 Watch List, and Tier 3. The rankings measure government efforts to combat trafficking rather than the prevalence of trafficking within each country.

Tier 1 means that a government meets the minimum standards established under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act, enacted in October 2000, shortly before the UN General Assembly adopted the Palermo Protocol against human trafficking.

Previous US State Department reports show that Israel held a Tier 1 ranking from 2012 through 2020. It was downgraded in 2021 after the department found that its efforts were not sufficiently serious and sustained, and remained in Tier 2 through the 2025 report.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Justice Ministry welcomed the upgrade. It highlighted the increase in investigations, expanded victim services, additional inspectors, and the establishment of dedicated police and prosecution positions.

"We have received full recognition of Israel's status as one of the world's leading countries in the fight against human trafficking," Justice Minister Yariv Levin said.

"I thank all the partners in this work, who joined forces toward the important goal of combating human trafficking, preventing exploitation, and ensuring proper protection and assistance for those harmed by this serious phenomenon."

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also welcomed the decision in a post on X/Twitter, saying he was "proud to see Israel return to Tier 1."

Sa'ar thanked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US State Department "for recognizing Israel's unwavering commitment to the highest standards in the fight against human trafficking."

"Israel is determined to combat this abhorrent phenomenon, protect its victims, and hold perpetrators accountable," he wrote.

Thai police raid Chabad, Jewish institutions in Bangkok

\- By YOAV ETIEL

Thai authorities raided the Chabad Bangkok Foundation, a Chabad kindergarten, and the Jewish Association of Thailand in Bangkok last week as part of a broader investigation into what officials described as a “network of businesses and assets linked to Israeli nationals” in a country that restricts foreign ownership of businesses.

Thailand's Special Investigation Department (DSI), which operates under the country's Justice Ministry, said the investigation centers on suspicions that Thai nationals were used as nominees "for the purpose of conducting business activities and holding assets in violation of the law."

Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, Chabad's representative in Bangkok, told Walla on Friday that authorities had informed him of plans to inspect foreign institutions operating in Thailand. He said Chabad staff had fully cooperated with investigators.

"We have nothing to hide," Wilhelm said. "We operate strictly in accordance with Thai law, for the benefit of travelers and Jews, and engage in charity and acts of kindness for everyone. Our doors are always open."

Wilhelm said that the investigation had not disrupted Chabad's activities.

More than 10 investigative and law enforcement agencies participated in the Thursday raids, including the police, the Revenue Department, the Immigration Bureau, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, and the Lands Department.

Investigators said they were examining the identities of the individuals who control the businesses and their ultimate beneficiaries, as well as funding sources, real estate transactions, company operations, and the Thai citizenship granted to some involved.

Notably, the latest operation focused primarily on Chabad-connected institutions. Among approximately 40 foreign workers, authorities identified three Myanmar nationals suspected of working without valid permits and remaining in Thailand illegally. Authorities expect to deport all three.

At the Chabad kindergarten offices in Bangkok's Bang Rak district, investigators seized documents relating to the registration of nonprofit organizations and companies, donations, membership records, land purchases, construction projects, tax payments, restaurants, hotels, and Chabad house operations.

The DSI said more than 61 companies were registered at the same address, with some listing the same individuals as directors or shareholders.

Wilhelm said that Chabad did not have any connection to those companies, saying that the documents were found at an accountant's office.

"It is natural for an accountant to work with other companies," he said. "That does not mean they are our companies or companies connected to us."

During a third raid, at the Jewish Association of Thailand in Bangkok's Khlong Toei district, authorities found two Laotian nationals suspected of working without permits. Legal proceedings were also initiated against their employer.

The Jewish Association of Thailand is a longstanding organization established before Chabad began operating in the country.

Law firms raise NIS 172,000 for North

🔗 [系统已自动跨页缝合转版续文：《NOBEL PRIZE》]

others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time," the committee said.

Netanyahu responded to the decision by calling Pillay a "bigot" and the prize committee "misguided."

"The Nobel Prize committee has lost its moral compass," the Prime Minister's Office wrote on X/Twitter. "It has awarded its highest honor to a bigot who built her career around inventing and propagating blood libels against the only Jewish state."

Pillay's "proudest achievement was to legitimize a corrupt prosecutor who turned to her fabrications against Israel, hoping that by joining her bigoted lynch mob, [ICC prosecutor Karim Khan] would beat a rape charge," the post went on to say.

“Khan, who his own ICC employees accused of raping and sexually molesting them, used Pillay’s lies to build a fake case against Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office continued.

"Now, the misguided members of the Nobel committee are honoring the woman who propagated this demonization of the Jews and this travesty of justice," it said.

The Foreign Ministry also condemned the decision, accusing Pillay of promoting lies, hatred, and blood libels against Israel.

"If there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn't just be a contender. She'd be a front-runner," the ministry said, describing her report findings as part of a politically motivated campaign to demonize the Jewish state.

Further, the Foreign Ministry rejected Pillay's genocide allegations, calling them “the biggest lie of the 21st century,” adding, “[Nazi propagandist] Joseph Goebbels is certainly applauding from hell.”

US President Donald Trump slammed the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday in remarks of his own, saying that the prize should have gone to the US, and effectively, to him.

“Despite ... [America’s] unbelievable accomplishments, the Nobel Prize was given out today to a liberal person who works at the United Nations, who nobody has ever heard of. I’ve never heard of that person,” Trump said during a campaign rally in Syracuse, New York.

"I know a lot of people. I've never heard of this particular person, but congratulations anyway," he added.

Trump then said that the UN had played no role in the conflicts he helped resolve.

"In all of the wars that I have settled, I never spoke to the United Nations. They were of no help to me," Trump said. "The United States of America, represented by me as your president, should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn't."

Norway, where the Nobel Peace Prize committee is based, was also mentioned in the US president's remarks on the subject.

"This is an indelible stain on the country of Norway and those people who made such a disgraceful and embarrassing decision," Trump said.

"The Nobel Peace Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democracy and really, enemies of civilization. And we will not forget Norway," he said.

Hours after the Nobel announcement, Trump's administration imposed sanctions on the ICC on Friday, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European allies.

ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan condemned the sanctions, saying they would not halt the tribunal's work.

The Trump administration has long been hostile toward the court founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. In the past, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on ICC prosecutors and judges. Friday's move would go far further, by potentially punishing companies that provide services to the court itself.

"President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans," US State Secretary Marco Rubio said in a statement, first published by Reuters.

“That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off its resources and crippling its ability to operate,” Rubio said.

The ICC deputy prosecutor told Reuters the sanctions "must be condemned."

"The sanctions are intended to undermine the rule of law internationally and the work that an independent judicial institution is doing," Khan said. "Our work will continue across all our situations, our investigations, and our prosecutions."

The sanctions are “an attempt to obstruct the course of justice and to prevent the court from doing what it was created to do,” the ICC said in a statement.

"It is an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order which strikes at the simple principle that no one stands above the law," it said.

"The designation is aimed at disrupting the court's operations and at intimidating those who work for or cooperate with the court. The court, for its part, will not be deterred ... Yet the court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it," the ICC continued.

Washington has denounced the ICC over arrest warrants issued for Israeli officials including Netanyahu, and a past investigation into actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan, which the ICC has since closed.

Netanyahu also commended Trump and Rubio for taking the “critical decision” to impose the sanctions in a post on X on Friday.

"The ICC is not a court," he said. "It is a political body that poses a mortal threat to law-abiding democracies worldwide and to the very idea of national sovereignty. Thank you for your leadership."

🔗 [系统已自动跨页缝合转版续文：《ABBAS》]

complicated preparations, the decree said.

Israel typically bans the PA from holding elections in east Jerusalem, territory it annexed in a move most countries do not recognize.

The decision to postpone followed consultations with Palestinian factions and political forces. It also aimed to allow time for a comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue to strengthen unity and address challenges facing the electoral process.

Two Palestinian officials told

Reuters on Thursday that leaders of Abbas's Fatah movement and rival Hamas had agreed at a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday to postpone the elections.

An August poll by the West Bank-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) showed declining support for both Hamas and Fatah, which many Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank blame for their continuing political divisions.

The delay comes just weeks after Abbas reaffirmed the November election timetable in his September 24 address to the UN General Assembly, as he sought to advance internationally backed reforms.

Abbas had committed in writing to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to hold presidential and legislative elections as part of France's recognition of a Palestinian state in September 2025.

France's foreign ministry said on Thursday that holding the elections was essential, and it welcomed the launch of an EU election observation mission. (Reuters)

🔗 [系统已自动跨页缝合转版续文：《VOTERS》]

leading up to the vote, weakening their effectiveness just as voters prepare to head to the polls.

The anniversary of Ovadia Yosef's death on October 14 is expected to mark the start of a series of statements and campaign initiatives that will continue through Election Day.

According to the sources, the latest attack marks the beginning of a broader escalation, with criticism of Ben-Gvir expected to continue and intensify.

On Friday, Shas circulated remarks by Yosef criticizing the national security minister for his visits to the Temple Mount, which violate the religious rulings of Israel's chief rabbis, particularly those of Yosef's father.

"There are people who speak and attract young people with all kinds of slogans, but what do they actually do? Nothing. They just talk and talk, and the younger people get excited," the rabbi said.

Yosef mentioned warning against ascending the Temple Mount during his weekly lecture at the Yazdim Synagogue, only for Ben-Gvir to then visit the site the following day.

"I have warned several times that it is forbidden to ascend the Temple Mount. I said this on Saturday night during my lecture at Yazdim. The next day, deliberately, Ben-Gvir went up to the Temple Mount, against the position of all the great Torah sages of Israel from every community," Yosef said.

"How can we give power to a person like this who openly, with arrogance and contempt, defies and disrespects all the great Torah sages and ascends the Temple Mount like that? God forbid that we should support such a person," he continued.

Yosef has also expressed hostility toward Ben-Gvir on a more personal level.

During a Torah scroll dedication ceremony held at the home of his son-in-law, Rabbi Baruch Deri, Yosef sharply criticized the national security minister.

Sources who attended the event said the remarks were spontaneous, unlike a similar earlier criticism that had been coordinated in advance.

In portions of his remarks heard on a video distributed by Shas, Yosef called Ben-Gvir "insolent" and "brazen," accusing him of deliberately visiting the Temple Mount immediately after the rabbi publicly warned against it.

According to the sources, Yosef views Ben-Gvir's conduct as a deliberate challenge to rabbinical authority, and his remarks at the time reflected genuine anger.

One notable frustration centers on the possibility that young Sephardi voters who grew up following Ovadia Yosef's religious rulings might support a politician who publicly encouraged an act that the rabbi prohibited.

Sources familiar with the campaign said Yitzhak Yosef distinguishes between an individual who violates Jewish law, which he considers a matter between that person and God, and a public figure who openly encourages others to disregard rabbinical rulings.

In Yosef's view, encouraging visits to the Temple Mount has sent a message to young people who see Ben-Gvir as an appealing political leader.

Sources familiar with the campaign said that moving forward, the attacks would focus on Ben-Gvir's statements and conduct regarding religious and public matters, while avoiding personal attacks.

Meanwhile, Deri is considered to be one of the leading advocates of a hard line against Ben-Gvir within the rabbi's inner circle.

Under this strategy, Yosef's statements will remain a prominent part of the campaign throughout the remaining weeks before the election. Any additional statement or action by Ben-Gvir perceived as defying rabbinical authority could trigger further backlash.

Nevertheless, some of those involved in the effort have expressed an interest in keeping the confrontation focused on Jewish law and public affairs rather than turning it into a daily exchange of critical rhetoric between two politicians.

Recent polling data supports Shas' concerns.

In a survey conducted by the Midgam Institute led by Mano Geva for the N12 news site that was published last month, 13% of young, first-time voters who identified as ultra-Orthodox supported Otzma Yehudit, compared with 20% for Shas and 45% for United Torah Judaism.

While the figures do not show voters shifting directly from Shas to Ben-Gvir, they illustrate the competition for support among younger haredi voters.

Shas also relies on traditional Jewish voters who are not ultra-Orthodox, a constituency Ben-Gvir has sought to attract through messages emphasizing the importance of national security, nationalism, and criticism of the ultra-Orthodox leadership.

Unlike United Torah Judaism, whose support comes primarily from haredi voters, Shas draws a significant share of its backing from traditional voters who do not necessarily vote for the party consistently.

Researchers of ultra-Orthodox society have previously estimated that several of Shas' Knesset seats depend on support from this population, making competition for these voters particularly important to the party.

Ben-Gvir, meanwhile, has rejected the criticism and accused the ultra-Orthodox parties of attempting to divert attention from their own conduct.

In a public letter to their leaders, he claimed that the parties had failed to address the needs of the haredi community and portrayed their attacks on him as an attempt to conceal those failures.

Ben-Gvir has sought to position Otzma Yehudit as an alternative for ultra-Orthodox voters dissatisfied with their political representatives, saying that his party has worked to advance issues important to this community.

The confrontation has also intensified over the arrests of yeshiva students, who have faced enforcement measures related to their military service obligations.

Yosef has accused Ben-Gvir of bearing responsibility for the arrests, saying that the national security minister was seeking to gain politically from them.

Ben-Gvir rejected the accusations and blamed other officials.

Shas is now seeking to counter Ben-Gvir's criticism of the ultra-Orthodox leadership by underscoring its role in preserving Jewish tradition.

In remarks circulated on Friday, Yosef said, "Only the Shas movement is capable of preserving tradition in the country."

He also brought up his father's words, in which he described Shas as a movement that was "like the mezuzah of the state. There is a state, and this state has a mezuzah."

In other words, the remarks target Sephardi voters Ben-Gvir is trying to attract by drawing attention to a link between supporting Shas and staying committed to Ovadia Yosef's approach to Jewish law.

🔗 [系统已自动跨页缝合转版续文：《EL-SAYED》]

indicated only a willingness to recognize Israel's identity as a Jewish nation-state if Israelis and Palestinians jointly agree to it.

Liberal Michigan rabbis last month signed a petition from the Zioness Action Fund, a progressive Zionist group, calling upon the Democratic Party to agree to “nonnegotiable” principles related to Jewish safety and Israel. A separate cohort of Michigan Jewish leaders urged community members to reject El-Sayed entirely.

Rogers and his representatives in August indicated that they would like AIPAC to refrain from spending directly on him in the general election, according to media reports. Asked about this at the Thursday debate, he said he'd welcome “anybody that wants to help my campaign stop a guy who can't condemn terrorism in our own country.”

El-Sayed condemned the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, but added that “hurt people hurt people,” which critics interpreted as justifying the attacker’s actions. He later apologized for those remarks.

During the debate, Albin turned to El-Sayed, noting the politician's opposition to direct US military funding for Israel. He asked, however, whether that position could change "if Israel were attacked tomorrow by Iran or another state actor."

"I want our tax dollars spent here," El-Sayed responded. "Israel has pushed us to go to war in Iran, and of course, my colleague, who thinks there's a war for everything, went right along with it."

When Albin pushed again for a yes or no answer, El-Sayed replied that he doesn't want the US "buying weapons for other countries."

Toward the end of the discussion related to the Middle East, Rogers recognized the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 massacre. He blasted his opponent for failing “to even acknowledge the pain, the terrorism, the rape, the murders.”

To this accusation, El-Sayed responded, “I’ve condemned that. I didn’t turn it into theater as you did.”

Politico reported last week that former president Barack Obama will campaign in Detroit with El-Sayed and other Michigan Democrats later this month.

'Israelis strengthen identity, steer clear of Europe' Three years after October 7 massacre, study reveals deepening skepticism and shifting alliances

PEOPLE ATTEND a counter-protest during a pro-Palestinian student march on October 7 in London. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

(Hebrew University-European Forum Barometer researchers)

• By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

Three years after the October 7 Hamas-led massacres in Israel, the 2026 Hebrew University-European Forum Barometer reveals a significant shift in how Israelis view themselves, their security, and their relationship with Europe. Jewish Israelis report a strengthened sense of Israeli identity, while many Israelis increasingly see the country as more Middle Eastern than European.

The 2026 survey, which was preceded by similar surveys by the group in 2022 and 2024 that showed less-extreme changes, was led by HU Prof. Gisela Dachs of the DAAD Center for German Studies and at the European Forum at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and examines mutual perceptions between Israel and four European countries – Germany, France, Great Britain, and Poland.

The findings indicate a strengthened sense of Israeli identity among Jewish Israelis, a widening perception gap between Israelis and Europeans on Jewish safety, and a growing Israeli tendency to view the country as more Middle Eastern than European.

The survey – which can be viewed at hu-ef-barometer.huji.ac.il – also discovered that Israelis overwhelmingly view Israel as safer for Jews than Europe, even as European respondents are far more divided. At the same time, Israelis express growing skepticism toward the European Union, continue to see Germany and Hungary as among Israel's closest friends in Europe, and identify France and Spain as the countries they perceive as most antisemitic.

The new indicator reveals how profoundly Israelis are reassessing questions of identity, safety, and their relationship with Europe, Dachs told The Jerusalem Post in an interview.

Dachs holds a doctorate in communications from Tel Aviv University and is an expert on news media consumption and belonging among migrants. Having had a long career as a professional journalist, having worked exclusively for more than 20 years in Germany, and in Israel for the German weekly Die Zeit, she is also the author of several books about Israel and the Middle East.

Among Jewish Israelis, the events of the past three years, including the Israel-Hamas War, and the war with Iran, appear to have reinforced Israeli identity. By contrast, Arab Israeli respondents were more likely to say that their sense of Israeli identity had weakened.

PROF. GISELA DACHS

(Courtesy)

The survey also finds a striking gap between Israelis and Europeans on the question of Jewish safety. A significant majority of Israelis said their country is safer for Jews than Europe, while European respondents were far more divided.

Poland stood out among the European countries surveyed, with the highest share of respondents (35%) viewing Israel as the safer option for Jews, she revealed. When asked if the situation of Jews in Europe will improve or decline, 69% of Israelis predicted that it would be worse.

At the same time, Israelis appear to be feeling greater distance from Europe; 42% of Israelis polled described Israel as more like a Middle Eastern country, compared with 18% who described it as more like a European country. Among Arab respondents, the share who see Israel as Middle Eastern has more than tripled compared with 2022.

Israeli views of the EU have also become more skeptical. Compared with 2024, more Israeli respondents disagreed with the statement that “the EU is, in general, a success,” with disagreement especially high among Jewish Israelis.

The Barometer also sheds light on Israeli attitudes toward Europe's far right. As in 2024, a large share of Jewish Israeli respondents said Israel should maintain ties with far-right parties in Europe if those parties support Israel. In 2024, respondents viewed the rise of the AfD (a far-right, nationalist political party in Germany founded in 2013) as a dangerous development, with many saying it is no more dangerous than similar developments in other European countries.

IN ISRAEL, concern regarding the AfD had declined. While 55% of Israelis considered the AfD's growing role dangerous in 2024, that figure fell to 47% in 2026. During the same period, the proportion of those who see no threat in the party rose from 7% to 15%, indicating a significantly more relaxed perception.

However, this shift stems almost entirely from the views of Arab Israelis. Among this group, the share of those who consider the AfD harmless rose from 16% to 28%, explaining their growing influence on the overall picture. Since they make up about 20% of Israel's population, they significantly skew the overall result for this question downward, thereby influencing the statistical assessment of the perceived threat posed by the AfD, Dachs explained.

When asked which European countries they consider friends of Israel, Israeli respondents ranked Germany first (this has probably declined since the success of Afd in elections in recent weeks), followed by Hungary.

The Netherlands, by contrast, has fallen sharply in Israeli perceptions and is now among the countries seen as least friendly to Israel. Asked which countries they perceive as most antisemitic, Israeli respondents pointed most often to France and Spain.

The survey also revisits one of the Barometer's long-running questions: whether today's Germany is a “different Germany” compared with the period before 1945. Among Jewish Israelis, 67% said yes in 2026, down from 75% in 2024. Older Jewish respondents were more likely than younger respondents to hold this view. The team didn't survey groups of Holocaust survivors or their descendants.

"The Barometer captures a moment of profound reassessment," said Dachs. "Three years after October 7, Israelis are not only rethinking questions of security and identity, but also their relationship to Europe and the political forces shaping it."

The new study is based on online surveys conducted by Kantar, a global marketing data, analytics, and consulting company based in London. It operates in Israel as Kantar Insight Israel, alongside a benchmark survey conducted in Israel.

Each European country included a representative sample of 1,000 participants. The Israeli sample included 1,003 respondents: 502 from the general sector, 250 Arab respondents, and 251 Orthodox Jewish respondents. Fieldwork in the four European countries was conducted in June-July 2026 and fieldwork in Israel in May 2026. The questionnaire's length was about eight minutes, and the sampling error was 3.1% per total market sample.

"The single most important change in Israeli perceptions of Europe since 2024 is that the EU is regarded by Israelis as a failure. In 2022, the majority saw it as a success, of coming together, opening borders, and having a common economy," Dachs said.

"Jewish Israelis became more strongly Israeli; $62\%$ said so, but this view declined among Arab Israelis due to the length of the war with Gaza and other factors we haven't studied yet," she added.

THE RESEARCHERS asked how Israelis view Europeans, and the most negative response was France. “We didn’t ask about Ireland or the Netherlands, which have become very anti-Israel in recent months.”

The team asked about a list of nine countries – Poland, Germany, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Italy, and Hungary. “The first question asked which countries Israelis considered to be their country’s greatest friend- and it was Germany and Hungary. With the same list, we asked about the most antisemitic countries, and it was France and Spain.”

"The biggest change among Europeans was in Poland – The Gaza war induced $30\%$ to be more pro-Palestinian compared to half that two years ago, and only $4\%$ to be more pro-Israel. The Poles are the foremost believers that Israel has 'conducted genocide against Palestinians.

"It was quite astonishing to find Poland at the forefront of the negative views. Compared to our last survey in 2024, the stance in Poland vis a vis Israel has significantly hardened."

Polish respondents were asked if Israelis should continue to visit Poland for Holocaust memorial events, and the share of those who were against such trips increased, while Israelis' views on this remained the same compared to before, Dach said.

"We asked how many have visited Israel or intend to visit: 67% of Germans said they don't plan such visits and have not been to Israel. Of those who have been here more than once, 13% were Germans and British, and 7% French, and 8% Polish.

"Asked if they had ever 'met a Jew or an Israeli before,' 58% of the Polish, 43% of the French, 42% of the Germans, and 33% of the British said they had "never done so."

The team did not ask the Europeans' views of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or whether their negative views would change if Israel elects a new premier.

How scientists are closing the window to protect children born as preemies Joint study by researchers at Hadassah Ein Kerem and Melbourne's Monash University shows hidden cellular clock that dictates lifelong kidney health

• By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

Imagine starting life with a permanent biological deficit that you won't discover until decades later. For the 15 million babies (one in 10 births) born each year prematurely, this is the hidden reality of kidney health. Until now, scientists knew that early arrival doubled the lifetime risk of chronic kidney disease, but the underlying biological culprit remained a mystery.

Prematurity is defined as a live birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Thanks to improvements in treatment and research in this field, the rate of live premature births has increased dramatically within the past decades. But preemies can suffer from an increased rate of adult diseases, when organs such as the kidney have not developed well in the uterus.

A groundbreaking joint study by researchers at Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem and at Monash University in Melbourne has finally uncovered the cellular mechanism behind the shortfall - and, crucially, pinpointed the narrow therapeutic window where intervention might protect these vulnerable organs for life. The signs precede the diagnosis by many years.

Dr. Morris Nechama of Hadassah's pediatric nephrology unit and the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem led the study, together with Athar Amleh, a doctoral student from the Palestinian Authority carrying out her doctoral research at Hadassah, whose scholarship was funded by the Yad Hanadiv Foundation.

Amleh designed and carried out the experiments and is the first author of the paper. Dr. Oded Volovelsky, director of Hadassah's pediatric nephrology, and Prof. Alexander Combes of the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute in Melbourne, Australia worked with them.

The new study just published in iScience, under the title “Preterm birth disrupts nephron progenitor cell dynamics predisposing to renal disease,” provides the authoritative answer of why the kidneys of premature babies remain vulnerable for life. Using an advanced mouse model, the research team has identified the exact cellular disruption caused by premature birth that limits the development of kidney filtration units - opening up a specific, limited period during which action must be taken for future preventative treatments.

DR. ODED VOLVOVSKY (Hadassah)

A healthy human relies on roughly one million microscopic filtration units built entirely before or around birth, which never regenerate. The study reveals for the first time how premature birth short-circuits this delicate developmental window, leaving millions of adults going through life with a lower kidney reserve that they never knew they were missing.

The cellular mechanism leaves the kidney with too few filtration units and the short window of time in which intervention may be possible. The findings could make possible a technique to protect the kidneys of babies born prematurely, the researchers said.

"We have known for years that children born prematurely reach adulthood with more vulnerable kidneys, but we didn't know exactly what went wrong and when. Here, we saw it happen in real time: nephron progenitor cells enter distress within the first hours after birth, and their timing is disrupted. They try to compensate later, but the window has already closed," Nechama said:

In an American study of 15-yearolds who had been born prematurely, about half already had high blood pressure, protein in the urine, or smaller-than-normal kidneys. Thus, many people go through life with kidneys that started out with less reserve, without knowing it, until something begins to go wrong.

DR. MORRIS NECHAMA

(Hadassah)

A healthy kidney consists of about a million tiny filtration units called nephrons in each normal human kidney. The creation of human nephrons ends by the 35th week of gestation, but this number varies greatly between different individuals. They don't regenerate after birth. Some babies are born with more and some with fewer, Volovelsky explained in an interview with The Jerusalem Post; a person born with fewer nephrons carries a smaller kidney reserve throughout life.

PRETERM BIRTH is increasingly recognized not merely as an acute neonatal event but as a lifelong determinant of renal health. But the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving this developmental programming have remained elusive, often confounded in clinical settings by two or more medical conditions that occur at the same time in a person – such as sepsis, medications that harm the kidneys, or having received steroids after birth.

The human nephron, the basic functional unit of the kidney, is a structure that produces urine in the process of removing waste and excess substances from the blood. At present, little can be done clinically to increase the number of nephrons.

Epidemiological studies have already shown that children and adults born prematurely suffer more often from high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and reduced kidney function. Until now, it was not clear why.

"Our research, using a mouse model of premature birth, provides the answer. The researchers examined the progenitor cells that give rise to nephrons and found that the sudden, early transition from the womb to the outside world disrupts the delicate timing of their development and maturation. The cells enter a state of stress and lose the opportunity for repair. We believe the findings are relevant to human babies as well," Volovelsky added.

"Immediately after premature birth, the progenitor cells enter a state of cellular stress, triggering an emergency molecular response known as the unfolded protein response. At the same time, the genes responsible for differentiation into mature nephrons are suppressed. In other words, the cells focus on survival instead of building."

A day later, they try to compensate for the delay with a faster wave of division and differentiation, but the compensation comes too late.

"One surprising finding of our study is that in the preterm animals, the period of nephron building lasts about 24 hours longer than usual, yet this extension does not fill the gap. The result is a permanent nephron deficit, clearly measured about a month after birth and already accompanied by signs of declining kidney function," Volovelsky noted.

In a later examination, at an age equivalent to adulthood, the kidneys of these mice showed signs of chronic damage: the glomeruli (filtration bodies) had enlarged to compensate for their small number, protein appeared in the urine, and markers of kidney tubular damage accumulated. In other words, damage caused in the first days of life keeps unfolding for decades.

"We accompany children born prematurely in the clinic and see the result years later, sometimes only in adolescence. This study indicates that the first few days after birth are not only a period of survival but also a period in which the kidney's reserve for life is set. It's a perspective that can change what we monitor and how we monitor these children. Preemies should be monitored for kidney disease as they get older."

An additional finding is a difference between the genders. “The impairment in nephron number and kidney function was significant in males but not in females, consistent with previous evidence that male fetuses are more susceptible to adverse perinatal conditions, and it may help in assessing risk in the future,” the pediatric nephrologist stated.

Identifying the stress response in progenitor cells as the point of failure suggests a possible intervention window in the first few days after premature birth. If this stress response can be curbed in time, it may be possible to preserve some of the nephrons that are lost today.

The researchers emphasize that this is an early stage; the study identifies the mechanism and the timing, but a treatment that prevents the damage has not yet been tested, and that is the goal of their next study.

Nechama and Volovelsky said their research could eventually revolutionize the care of kidney disease. The notion that nephron numbers can be restored with timely intervention in experimental models gives hope to the important struggle to find a cure for kidney diseases.

The study grew out of an Israeli-Australian collaboration supported by AUSiMED, an Australian charity that promotes joint medical research between the two countries.

The collaboration continued without interruption throughout the war, with the lab work in Jerusalem and the bioinformatic analysis in Melbourne advancing in parallel, in daily coordination across the time difference and the security situation. For the teams, it was also proof that international medical research can keep working under the most difficult conditions, they said.

PUZZLE POST 14 ■ TV LISTINGS 15

COMMENT&FEATURES

THE JERUSALEM POST • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026

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Funds raised in charity basketball game

PARTICIPANTS SHOW their rewards at the fifth annual DLA Piper Israel Charity Basketball Tournament, held at the Shalom Sports and Community Center in Tel Aviv, with proceeds going to Leket Israel, the country's national food bank. (Idan Canfi)

• Jerusalem Post Staff

Ten leading law firms competed in a charity basketball tournament in Tel Aviv, raising funds for families still recovering from the war.

A sum total of NIS 172,000 was collected to provide hot meals to residents of the North, where communities continue to recover from the damage and displacement caused by the war with Hezbollah.

The funds were raised during the fifth annual DLA Piper Israel Charity Basketball Tournament, held at The Shalom Sports and Community Center in Tel Aviv, with proceeds going to Leket Israel, the country's national food bank.

Lawyers from some of the largest firms in Israel came together for the event, exchanging courtrooms for a basketball court to support families struggling to rebuild their lives.

"The North absorbed more than its share. Long after the headlines moved on, families there are still putting their lives back together," said Jeremy Lustman, a managing partner at DLA Piper's Israel Group.

"A hot meal, every day, is one of the most concrete forms of support we can offer," he said.

The tournament has raised more than NIS 670,000 for charitable causes over the past five years, organizers said.

This latest fundraising effort focused on the continuing needs of northern residents, many of whom were forced to leave their homes following Hezbollah's attacks that began the day after October 7, 2023.

Although residents have been returning to communities along the Lebanese border, the region continues to face economic and social challenges as families and businesses work to recover from the prolonged fighting.

Leket Israel's hot meals program provides prepared, nutritious food to people in need, while reducing food waste by rescuing surplus meals that would otherwise be discarded.

"Food rescue is not charity. It is national infrastructure," said Gidi Kroch, the CEO of Leket Israel.

"Every shekel donated here becomes a hot, nutritious meal on a table in the North, while preventing perfectly good food from being wasted," he added.

Founded in 2003 by Joseph Gitler, Leket Israel distributes rescued food through a network of more than 360 nonprofit organizations, reaching approximately 470,000 people in need each week, according to the organization.

In 2025, it repurposed roughly 2.2 million cooked meals and over 32m. servings of fruit and vegetables.

On the basketball court, law firm Meitar emerged as the tournament champion after defeating Arnon, Tadmor-Levy in the final.

Meitar attorney Orpaz Azoulay was named the tournament's most valuable player.

The participating firms included Amit, Pollak, Matalon & Co.; Arnon, Tadmor-Levy; Fischer (FBC & Co.); Furth, Wilensky, Mizrachi, Knaani; Goldfarb Gross Seligman; Gornitzky GNY; Herzog, Fox & Ne'eman; Meitar; S. Horowitz & Co.; and Shibolet & Co.

DLA Piper's Group Israel, the local arm of the international law firm, organized the event. The firm operates in over 40 countries.

Russian attack on Ukrainian city kills 17, a day after Trump eases diesel sanctions on Moscow

Zelenskiy: US decision emboldens Moscow, this is their ‘thank you’

RESCUERS WORK at a site of an apartment building damaged during a Russian air strike, amid Moscow's attack on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine yesterday. (Stringer/Reuters)

• By SERGIY CHALYI and MAX HUNDER

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Seventeen people, including three children, were killed in a Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to lift sanctions on Russian diesel in a major setback for Kyiv.

A six-year-old girl was among those killed when one strike reduced part of an apartment block to rubble.

Her grandfather, Anatoliy Chumniy, stood sobbing over her body, laid on the ground in a white bag, after rescuers pulled it from the wreckage.

"Her birthday would have been at the end of the month," he said through tears.

Eighteen others were wounded in the attack on the industrial city, whose outskirts lie less than 30 kilometers from the front line.

"Today, Russia said thank you for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, in some of his sharpest criticism yet of the White House.

It was the third mass-casualty attack on Ukraine this past week.

Nearly 80 civilians were killed in Russian strikes on

Wednesday and Thursday, including at least 30 killed by a bomb in the eastern garrison city of Kramatorsk and 22 others by a missile in the town of Pryluky, 120 kilometers east of Kyiv.

A senior official in Zaporizhzhia, Mykhailo Semikin, said Russia had hit several locations simultaneously in the early hours of Saturday.

Rescuers clambered through crumbled masonry to pull other residents of the building out alive. One man, whose leg was trapped in the rubble, screamed in pain as he was being freed.

Nataliia Malysheva, a 49-year-old local resident whose parents died in hospital after being pulled from the rubble, was torn by grief and rage.

"If (the Russians) have money, they'll be able to carry on fighting us," she said. "How many lives have been lost here? How many homes have been destroyed? How many innocent people have died in the meantime?"

Zaporizhzhia, with a pre-war population of over 700,000, has been a regular target of Russian bombardment, with strikes intensifying in the past few months.

“Last night provided yet more confirmation that Russia perceives any easing of pressure as a signal that it can supposedly keep fighting, that it can supposedly keep dropping bombs on cities. Different signals are needed,” Zelenskiy said.

A missile attack on Saturday afternoon also hit a restaurant, wounding seven people, in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

Russian drones swirled in the skies over Kyiv throughout the day, part of a vast new wave of bombardment of the capital, the heaviest since the early days of the war.

Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports comes as his administration seeks to curb fuel prices, which have risen sharply during the US conflict with Iran.

Kyiv had instead urged Washington to increase pressure on Moscow in an effort to force it into serious negotiations to end the four-and-a-half-year war.

Trump, meanwhile, has criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he claims have driven up global prices.

Kyiv has said it wants a total halt on all energy strikes by both sides as Moscow pummels Ukraine's power grid.

On Saturday, parts of Kyiv and the surrounding region were left without power, bringing the city's metro trains to a complete halt for the second time this week.

The latest strikes came after Ukrainian and European officials held talks with American negotiators in Miami on Friday aimed at developing a common proposal for ending the war, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Trump announced the diesel deal while the negotiations were underway, a move Zelenskiy said caught Kyiv by surprise.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after a call with Trump that an immediate resumption of peace talks was unlikely, citing Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow.

Four civilians were killed, and five others were wounded as a result of Ukrainian attacks on the Russian-controlled Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, the Russian-installed governor said on Saturday.

Reuters could not independently verify the report, and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Taiwan won't give up freedom, Lai says

Beijing slams 'ulterior motives'

• By YIMOU LEE and BEN BLANCHARD

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan cherishes peace but will not give up its freedom, and Taiwan's people must be respected as a people, President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday in a National Day speech, adding that boosting defenses is not a provocation.

Beijing quickly denounced the speech, saying it “distorts the truth” and reveals “ulterior motives.”

Democratically governed Taiwan has faced increased military and political pressure from China, which views the island as its own territory over the strong objections of the government in Taipei.

Facing China's far larger military, which is adding advanced new weapons such as stealth-fighter jets, aircraft carriers, and a huge array of missiles, Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces.

Peace cannot rely solely on “wishes,” Lai said outside the Presidential Office. “Taiwan cherishes peace, but we will not give up our freedom. We are open to exchanges, but will not accept subordination.”

Taiwan's resolve is not only a matter of its survival in the face of “authoritarian expansion,” he added. “It is about whether the international community still believes that force cannot override rules, and that the powerful cannot strip a people of their right to determine their own future.”

China's Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai's speech "disregards facts, distorts the truth, misleads the public, and reveals ulterior motives," accusing him of stubbornly clinging to "Taiwan independence" separatist thinking and exaggerating the "threat from the mainland."

"There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China – this is the true status quo in the Taiwan Strait," the office said.

Taiwan's future “can and must be decided jointly by all the Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan,” China's state television CCTV reported the office's spokesperson as saying.

China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, calls the president a “separatist” and has rebuffed his offers of talks.

The US welcomes Lai's commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, a senior US administration official said, adding, in reference to China, that “a routine speech is no justification for aggressive or coercive actions.”

The US is Taiwan's most important international backer despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.

Lai did not use his usual wording that neither side of the Taiwan Strait is “subordinate” to the other, but did use a phrase from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, saying Taiwan must become a “city upon a hill, built with courage and confidence.”

Lai said his government's increased investment in defense aimed to deter war, not provoke it.

"And we are strengthening our self-defense not to abandon dialogue, but to ensure that dialogue can take place based on parity and dignity," he told the crowd at the event, where he also watched military displays and dancing performances.

"There must be respect for the right of the people of Taiwan to exist."

In 2024, shortly after Lai's first National Day speech as president, China held war games around the island but did not do so last year.

Its last war games near Taiwan were in late December, following news of an \$11-billion US arms deal for Taipei, the largest ever. US President Donald Trump has yet to approve a second package, worth \$14b.

Lai said he welcomed the United States and China managing their competition through dialogue and reducing the risk of conflict and war, in what a Taiwanese official told reporters was a direct response to last month's China-US summit in Washington.

But Lai urged democracies in the Indo-Pacific region to join forces to retain the status quo of peace and stability in the region.

Taiwan's National Day is held on the anniversary of a 1911 uprising that led to the overthrow of China's last imperial dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.

The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists led by Mao Zedong, the former chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, and the Republic of China remains the island's formal name.

India detains thousands, locks down Delhi in bid to foil election chief protest

Cockroach Janta Party condemns its leaders' 'authoritarian detention' vows to continue protesting

POLICE OFFICERS detain a protester during a Cockroach Janta Party demonstration demanding the resignation of India's chief election commissioner, in New Delhi yesterday. (Photo by Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images)

• By SAURABH SHARMA, SARITA CHAGANTI SINGH and SAKSHI DAYAL

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Police detained more than 2,000 protesters and the founder of the Cockroach youth movement in Delhi on Saturday as security forces locked down parts of the capital to thwart a rally demanding the resignation of India's election chief.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the city, mobile internet services were suspended in the central business district, and dozens of metro stations and markets were shut as authorities moved to stop a demonstration organized by the Cockroach movement.

The protest was aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists that critics say disproportionately benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The movement had planned to gather thousands of people at Jan-tar Mantar in central Delhi, but the area was sealed off by security forces before the demonstration began.

A home ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that more than 2,000 people were detained in Delhi. Local media said about 400 protesters were held in India's financial hub, Mumbai.

There was no immediate comment from police on the detentions.

Small protests broke out elsewhere in Delhi, including at a popular crafts market and at the site of the memorial to freedom movement leader Mahatma Gandhi, with demonstrators demanding Kumar's resignation.

"Long live the revolution," some young protesters chanted as police chased them and dragged scores of others into buses to be taken away, even as more arrived, a Reuters witness said.

"This is violating the rights of the people and the country will not tolerate this anymore," Yogendra Solanki said as police escorted him away.

Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and senior leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka when their flight from Mumbai landed in Delhi, the group said in a statement.

Television footage showed Dipke challenging officers who approached him on board the aircraft.

"I have come to be arrested, arrest me... I am not afraid of you guys," he said.

“No, this is not an arrest,” one officer replied. “Please cooperate.”

The movement condemned what it called the “authoritarian detention” of its leaders, demanded their release and vowed to continue protesting.

"We will continue our protest tomorrow, day after... until Gyanesh Kumar resigns. We will be on the streets," CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde told reporters.

CJP also said authorities refused to provide updates on the leaders' whereabouts or health, even after news arrived of the death of Dipke's grandmother. Police said Dipke was informed of her death and was offered help to return home for the funeral.

Some opposition lawmakers and former chief ministers Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, and Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala were also detained, TV channels showed.

Representatives of two digital news outlets said police briefly detained four of their reporters while they were covering the demonstrations. A Reuters journalist was also detained briefly before being released.

Across the capital of about 20 million people, security forces set up checkpoints on major roads and entry points, boarded buses searching for protesters and inspected vehicles.

Barricades and concrete blocks disrupted traffic while anti-riot vehicles equipped with tear-gas launchers guarded key routes.

The demonstrations represent one of the most serious tests yet for Modi, stemming from allegations that election authorities improperly revised voter rolls ahead of recent state polls.

Protests intensified after the Indian Express reported last week that two election commissioners had questioned Kumar's voter-list revisions that removed roughly 130 million names from voter lists.

Kumar has not commented, but the Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of wrongdoing.

The BJP says its electoral success reflects Modi's popularity and India's economic growth, and accuses opposition parties of spreading mis-

information.

The near-daily protests come just months after demonstrations over exam paper leaks forced his education minister to quit.

The unrest also comes ahead of a series of important state elections beginning in early 2027.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, said Modi's opponents would not back down.

A senior BJP member, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said the party was not opposed to demonstrations but the street protests had been “weaponized” by rivals due to election defeats.

Opposition parties say the deletions affected the outcome of recent state elections won by the BJP and have cast a shadow over voting in the world's largest democracy.

Election Commission data show about 130 million voter entries were removed during the verification exercise, including 63 million people who had relocated, 30 million who could not be traced and 28 million who had died.

The commission says the removals relate to entries identified during the draft revision process and that any eligible voter incorrectly deleted can re-enroll.

Dodim Cave, the Ein Gedi most visitors never see

AT DODIM CAVE, the waterfall crashes with real force into a shallow pool. (Susannah Schild)

HIKING THE HOLYLAND

• By SUSANNAH SCHILD

E in Gedi is not a secret. It's one of the most visited nature reserves in the country, and after years of closures, it's filling up again.

Just before Sukkot, the Parks Authority reopened the lower Nahal David trail to David Waterfall, the last major piece of a long restoration. The tour buses, school groups, and families lined up for ice cream are back, and almost all of them head for the same place: Nahal David and its waterfalls.

Most of them never learn that Ein Gedi reaches far beyond that one canyon. Above the crowds are quieter trails, climbing into the cliffs toward springs, ancient ruins, and pools that see only a handful of hikers a day.

The most beautiful of these is Dodim Cave.

On our last visit there, we pulled up to the gate just before 8 a.m., before it had even opened. Below us, the Dead Sea lay flat and blue in the morning haze. We had been to Dodim Cave years earlier. But this time we were approaching it from a different trail, because the way we used to get there was closed.

A reserve that keeps changing

Ein Gedi has had a hard few years. In August 2023, a deadly rockslide struck the Nahal David trail, and the Parks Authority closed it for months. Then, in May 2025, a sudden flood tore through the David and Arugot streams, washing away trails, stairs, and bridges. Since then, the reserve has reopened piece by piece: first Nahal Arugot, then the route to Ein Gedi Spring, and now the lower Nahal David trail.

The old path to Dodim Cave used to break off from Nahal David and climb from there. When we went, that route was closed. Thankfully, there is another way in, from a trail near Nahal Arugot on the other side of the reserve.

The Parks Authority describes this trail as suitable only for experienced hikers. We were warned that the two-kilometer climb would take at least three hours. So we came prepared to suffer.

But it wasn't difficult at all. The trail climbed steadily through open desert, with the Dead Sea spread out below, and in less than 20 minutes we reached Ein Gedi Spring. It was uphill and it was hot, but for any reasonably fit hiker, it's a short and very manageable walk.

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From spring to cave

Ein Gedi Spring is a small patch of green and shade in an otherwise bare landscape, with a shallow, pretty pool. It's also the only place along the route where you're officially allowed to picnic.

A little farther on, we began to hear water rushing beneath us. We followed the ridge, caught a glimpse down into the canyon, and then the first waterfall appeared. It poured over the white cliffs as if out of nowhere, water from white desert rock. We climbed down a few metal rungs, stopped for a dip in a deep pool, and kept going. One last set of rungs, and there it was.

At Dodim Cave, the waterfall crashed with real force into a shallow pool. Moss and hanging plants grew thick over the gray rock. Behind the falling water was the cave itself, dark and cool and misty, with clear water at its floor. Part of the pool sat in shade and part in the sun. It felt like a pirate's cove somehow dropped into the Judean Desert.

We stood under the waterfall until we were completely soaked, then climbed up into the cave to explore. Afterward we spread a blanket on a dry ledge beside the falls to enjoy the view.

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A place with layers

The name Dodim means “beloved” or “lovers.” It comes straight out of the Song of Songs, where the beloved is compared to “a cluster of henna in the vineyards of Ein Gedi.” Even 3,000 years ago, this oasis was shorthand for something rare and lovely.

The history here is older than the poetry. Just beyond Ein Gedi Spring are the ruins of a Chalcolithic temple, built more than 5,000 years ago on a ledge overlooking the Dead Sea. Its builders likely chose the spot for its view and its water.

Later came David, hiding from King Saul “on the rocks of the wild goats” at Ein Gedi, the ibex’s ancestors presumably watching from the cliffs. Later still, a Jewish town thrived below these springs, famous for its date palms and its precious balsam perfume. The town’s ancient synagogue floor still bears an inscription cursing anyone who reveals “the secret of the town” to outsiders. No one knows for certain what the secret was, but many scholars believe it was how the perfume was made.

Sitting at those falls, it was easy to understand why people kept coming back to this place, and why they wanted to keep it to themselves.

The Ein Gedi beyond Ein Gedi

Now that Nahal David is open again, the parking lot will be full on any good morning. Hundreds of people a day will visit Ein Gedi, see David Waterfall, and drive home feeling they've seen the place.

But they'll miss the best part. Some of Israel's most famous parks still hold corners that almost no one reaches, and they're usually only a short climb from the crowds.

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If you go

Location: Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, off Route 90 on the Dead Sea. About an hour and 20 minutes from Jerusalem. Start from the small trailhead parking area on the road toward Nahal Arugot, but pay or register at the Nahal Arugot entrance first, even if you have a parks card.

The route: Follow the black trail markers and signs toward Ein Gedi Spring, then to Dodim Cave, and return the same way. You'll get a map at the entrance, and rangers can point out the route. It's about a 3.5 km. round trip.

Difficulty: Moderate. There is a short, steady climb and a few metal handholds near the cave. Despite the official warnings, it's well within reach of any normal hiker and of kids who like to hike.

Best season: Fall through spring. In summer, start at opening time.

What to bring: Good shoes, a bathing suit, plenty of drinking water, and sun protection. Picnicking is allowed only at Ein Gedi Spring. No dogs.

Before you go: Ein Gedi has reopened in stages since the 2025 flood, and trail access can change quickly, especially after rain. Check the Parks Authority website for current openings and hours.

The writer is the founder of Hiking the Holyland. Follow her hikes on Instagram @hikingtheholyland. This is the third in a series of columns exploring the lesser-known corners of Israel's nature reserves and national parks.

Direct flights to Bhutan set for Feb.

• By ZIV REINSTEIN

Bhutan, one of the most isolated and intriguing countries in Asia, is drawing closer to Israelis for the first time without the need for a connecting flight. The kingdom's national airline, Drukair, will operate five direct flights from Israel to Bhutan during February and March, in a move expected to make the exotic destination accessible to Israeli travelers.

These are seasonal and exclusive flights organized by the Caminos travel company, with plans for them to operate until mid-March, while the airline and tourism officials plan another project toward the end of 2027. The flight from Israel to Bhutan is expected to take about seven hours and will be operated on an Airbus A320 aircraft configured with approximately 110 seats. Alongside economy class, business class seats will also be offered with an option to upgrade.

Bhutan opened to international tourism only in 1974, and since then, it has maintained a policy that limits the volume of tourism in order to preserve its unique character. Its "high value, low volume" policy means fewer tourists, but a higher-quality travel experience, with visitors being required to pay a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) of \$100 per person per night.

The organized tours that will be marketed around the direct flights will be eight days long, in small groups of up to 16 travelers. The packages include accommodation in five-star hotels or hotels considered the best in each region, on a full-board basis.

The price of the trip stands at \$5,395 per person based on double occupancy, and according to the organizers, the price also includes visa costs and the Bhutanese tourism tax. Flight upgrades to business class will be available.

Those flying to Bhutan will also experience one of the most impressive landings in the aviation world at the end of the flight. An aircraft landing in Bhutan arrives at Paro International Airport, which is located inside a narrow valley at an altitude of about 2,200 meters above sea level. Surrounding it rise the Himalayas, some reaching heights of around 5,500 meters.

Visiting Abraham's 'birth chamber' in southern Turkey

THE JEWISH TRAVELER

• BY JACOB MAOR

ABRAHAM'S POOL, whose waters and fish were sanctified according to Jewish tradition. (Jacob Maor)

The Torah portion of Noah, which we will read this Shabbat, concludes with a powerful verse: "And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan."

Jewish travelers don't simply read what the Torah says; we want to see where it happened. There are places where the Bible stops being a story and becomes the soil beneath our feet.

We read a passage, board a plane, drive a road, and find ourselves wondering what Abraham's path actually looked like. In these moments, the earth acquires a narrative, and that narrative begins to feel almost tangible.

The biblical “Ur of the Chaldees” (Ur Kasdim) is modern-day Urfa, located in south-eastern Turkey, 80 km. from the Euphrates River – and less than two hours by air from Israel. The Turkish government renamed it Sanlıurfa in 1984, but in Kurdish, it is still known simply as “the City of the Prophets.” The local university bears the name Harran, a designation that immediately resonates with anyone familiar with Abraham’s journey.

A trip to Urfa is a spiritual and religious experience, not merely a geographical one. It doesn't offer the shallow excitement of a typical tourist site where you snap a photo and move on. Instead, it leaves an impact that is almost physical – and difficult to put into words.

But before the biblical narrative even enters the picture, Urfa enfolds you in its unique atmosphere. It is a city of pale stone, fierce sun, narrow lanes, and markets thick with the smell of grilled meat and sharp pepper. The local döner kebab, heavily flavored with the region's distinctive, smoky chili – Urfa biber – hangs in the air like an announcement of place.

In the center of the city stands a hill crowned with the ruins of an ancient fortress. Locals point to the remaining stone columns and call them "Nimrod's Throne," attributing them to the mighty king from Genesis.

Yet, it is the sacred site nestled just below the hill that draws Jewish travelers. A small, dark, humble cave is revered as the birthplace of Abraham. According to historical tradition, a synagogue stood above or near this site some 1,700 years ago, adding an intriguing ancient layer to the local heritage. The cave is sacred to Christians too, associated with Mary.

Descending into the cave, something immediately shifts. The light dims, the stone walls close in, and the bustling world above recedes. Colored carpets cover the floor as you move deeper into the shadows.

There is no grand hall or imposing architecture here; the cave is small, low, and cramped, leaving you with the distinct sensation that the entire weight of the city rests impossibly far above your head.

A natural spring flows directly from the rock wall. Today, the water runs through modern faucets and collects in large stone basins. The steady, rhythmic sound of dripping water is almost hypnotic – an ancient whisper that could have sounded exactly this way thousands of years ago.

It's difficult to remain indifferent in such a space. I'm standing where the founder of faith itself was born, a man whose influence would span millennia and cross the boundaries of religions and peoples. In this darkness, it's impossible not to contemplate how far his footprints would reach.

Centuries ago, a Byzantine Christian church stood near these waters, reportedly built over an even older place of worship. When the Ottoman Empire ruled here, the “Mosque of Abraham” (the Rizvaniye Mosque) was erected along the complex in 1736 and is still standing today.

The site has become one of the most revered places in the region, comparable in its spiritual pull to the mosque above the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, where Abraham is buried. Muslim pilgrims and visitors arrive from around the world, but Jews and Christians are warmly welcomed too. (I visited there before the Turkish ruler's antisemitism became apparent).

---

Abraham's Pool

Beside the mosque lies Abraham's Pool (Balikligöl), where thousands of carp circle endlessly in the still water like a living legend.

In his commentary, Rashi briefly cites the Midrash Rabbah noting that Abraham's father, Terah, was a dealer in idolatrous statues. One day, while still a child, Abraham smashed his father's idols. Furious, Terah lodged a complaint against his own son with King Nimrod.

The midrash expands on this, describing a fierce theological debate between the young boy and the tyrant king. "If fire is divinity," Abraham asks, "perhaps water is stronger? And if water, perhaps the clouds that carry it?"

The argument continues until the king loses his patience and orders Abraham cast into a fiery furnace. The midrash notes that Abraham was miraculously saved, but leaves the details mysterious.

Local tradition fills in the blanks with a happy ending: the moment Abraham hit the furnace, the fire miraculously transformed into cool water, and the burning coals turned into fish. This is how Abraham's Pool was created, and why the carp inside are considered sacred. Fishing here is strictly forbidden, and don't even think of utilizing it for your gefilte fish.

Today, visitors purchase small packets of food from local vendors for a few lira to feed the fish. Watching hundreds of carp glinting in the sun while children point excitedly, it is fascinating to see the direct line connecting an ancient rabbinic midrash to a modern Turkish pool where the fish swim as if they are part of the story itself.

Anlıurfa has another world-class attraction: the Urfa Man statue (Balıkligöl Statue). Discovered during excavations near the pool, this limestone carving dates back roughly 13,000 years to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period. Displayed in the city's archaeological museum, it is widely considered the oldest known life-sized, naturalistic sculpture of a human being in existence. (Apparently, the young Abram missed this one!).

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The House of Job

Old travelers' books occasionally mention a "House of Job" in Urfa. Job begins: "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job." Because biblical Uz is frequently associated with Mesopotamia, local traditions placed his story here.

While finding the exact “house” remains elusive, the city’s historic Saladin Ayyubi Mosque stands on a site deeply tied to these ancient legends. In Urfa, it is often impossible to know where stone ends and story begins.

---

Urfa's lost Jews

For 2,500 years, a vibrant Jewish community thrived in Urfa. Five hundred years ago, a thousand Jews lived here – likely the descendants of exiles from Judah who arrived after the destruction of the First Temple.

In the Urfali synagogues, they prayed in Hebrew inflected with a distinct local accent. Their liturgical melodies absorbed the sounds of the streets around them, blending traditional prayers with Turkish musical structures and intricate maqam patterns. During Saturday morning prayers, they sang "Nishmat Kol Hai" to traditional Turkish tunes.

They lived in a Jewish quarter characterized by white stone houses squeezed along narrow lanes, where families could converse across rooftops and children easily jumped from house to house.

The Great Synagogue stood opposite what is now the historic Hayrullah Mosque. By the 19th century, the community was prominent enough to establish a yeshiva under the spiritual guidance of Hakham Abdallah Somekh, the revered rosh yeshiva of Baghdad.

By the end of the 19th century, the situation had changed. The Ottoman authorities began massacring the local Armenian population. While the violence was not explicitly directed at the Jewish community, the terrifying atmosphere prompted many of Urfa's Jews to flee.

They went toward the Land of Israel, retracing the exact route taken by Abraham millennia earlier. Many families stopped in Aleppo, Syria, staying for generations and producing some of Aleppo's most renowned rabbinic scholars. But the majority eventually completed the journey to Jerusalem and Tiberias, establishing tight-knit communities to preserve their unique Urfali traditions.

In doing so, a historical circle closed: the very city from which Abraham once departed to seek the Promised Land would, thousands of years later, send forth its own Jewish children to that exact same destination.

Today, you can still find physical traces of this community in Israel. In Jerusalem, the Urfalim Synagogue stands at 19 Bezalel Street. Until recently, the congregation still prayed from custom siddurim that followed the unique Urfa rite, though they have since transitioned to the standard Edot HaMizrach liturgy.

Another historic Urfali synagogue still stands in Rishon Lezion, founded at the turn of the 20th century by proud Urfali pioneers who built their new lives working in Baron Rothschild's historic vineyards.

This may be one of the most moving aspects of tracing a vanished community: discovering that it hasn't truly vanished. It's simply changed address.

---

The journey continues

When we leave Urfa, it's hard to shake the feeling that the story hasn't really ended. The stones remain. The fish continue their circles. But the story travels with you. Am Israel Chai.

Anyone who has ever left home knows that feeling. Whether moving to another city or making aliyah, departure is always an act of faith. You know what you're leaving. You don't truly know what you'll find.

I have visited many Jewish heritage sites around the world, yet few have left such a profound impression on me as the cave where tradition says Abraham our forefather was born. In my view, its significance as a Jewish tourist site surpasses even that of the Arch of Titus in Rome.

In Urfa, the ancient command “lech lecha” (go forth) sounds less like a biblical verse, and more like a personal invitation to journey.

The author is the creator of the JewishTraveler blog.

Yair Golan: Khamenei assassination was mistake Democrats leader says his killing resulted in extremists, violent elements becoming stronger

\- By AARON GLICK

The IDF's assassination of former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a “mistake,” Democrats Party leader Yair Golan said during an interview with Yediot Aharonot and i24NEWS commentator Yossi Yehoshua at the Meir Nitzan Culture Hall in Rishon Lezion.

Golan said that his opinion was not based on Khamenei deserving his fate, but rather "because [the assassination] didn't serve the interests of the State of Israel.

The N12 news site quoted The Democrats' leader as saying that the assassination removed Iran's “veteran leadership,” resulting in the strengthening of “even more extreme and violent elements.”

"When you have an elderly and veteran leader, there is certainly an advantage to that," Golan said. "He was already 86 years old."

According to N12, Golan added that his position was based on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “selling” the United States “illusions about toppling the Iranian regime, without any diplomatic strategy,” as opposed to “spearheading a regional diplomatic initiative to ensure

Israel's security."

Khamenei was killed by an Israel Air Force strike targeting his Tehran bunker on February 28, 2026, at the start of Operation Roaring Lion. The ayatollah's son, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeded him.

Turning to the issue of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) enlistment, Golan said the “clear goal” was for every 18-year-old to “serve the state” for at least one year.

"I think this will build a more integrated society," he said, describing himself as a "realistic person."

He added that the way to achieve this goal was to "sit and talk" about the issue.

"We have the patience, the maturity, and the professional responsibility to build a real process and not a fake one," Golan said.

Shir Perets, Jame Genn, Tobias Holcman, and Idan Kweller contributed to this report.

UAE ATTORNEY-GENERAL:

B-G was flydubai terrorist's target in attempted suicide attack

\- By AARON GLICK

The Omani flydubai pilot who attempted to hijack Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 planned to commit a suicide attack with the aircraft, targeting a Ben-Gurion Airport passenger terminal, United Arab Emirates Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said, according to the Emirates News

Agency (WAM).

Shamsi found that the attack was premeditated, with the pilot, 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami, being indoctrinated in extremism beginning in 2017 while studying in Australia.

Hammami intended to cause the highest number of casualties possible, Shamsi added, with the pilot drawing inspiration from the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The pilot confessed that the idea of committing such an act was part of what drove him to pursue an aviation career in the first place, Shamsi said, noting that Hammami claims to have acted alone in both his planning and execution.

Shamsi's statement noted Hammami's aviation career history, with the Omani national having worked for four years at Oman Air before a short-lived position with Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc in 2025, and joining flydubai in January.

UAE investigators determined that Hammami met both the professional and security requirements to join flydubai at the time he was hired, and the airline was unaware of his intentions or extremism.

The UAE attorney-general further discussed the midair response to the attempted hijacking, during which Hammami attacked flydubai Capt. Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe.

Citing testimony from the flight's passengers and crew, Shamsi said a flydubai captain, who was onboard to operate the return flight from Tel Aviv to Dubai, was able to enter the cockpit using a security code after seeing the door open and close repeatedly.

Then, the return flight's captain confronted the attacking co-pilot, with several passengers and one crew member assisting him, and eventually diverted the flight to a safe landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The investigation is ongoing, and Shamsi said the UAE Public Prosecution will announce any new findings.

ANTI-ISRAEL RALLY

Masses march, waving Palestinian flags, near the Colosseum in Rome yesterday, during a demonstration calling for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and greater access for humanitarian aid. (Matteo Minnella/Reuters)

US

and visits.

Continued from Page 1

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned over the weekend that a return to war within the next three weeks could cause the Israeli election, scheduled for October 27, to be postponed.

This comes after an assessment that renewal of large-scale US attacks on Iran could lead to the Islamic Republic launching missiles at Israel, N12 news site reported.

Zamir was briefed on American military preparation for a return to fighting against Iran in the upcoming weeks, a senior American official told N12.

Senior American officials told N12 that Trump is considering resuming fighting before American and Israeli elections, both of which fall in the next month.

The sources added that a final decision on the timing of a US attack on Iran will be made in the next seven to ten days.

In contrast, Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Thursday that the US wouldn't launch an attack on Iran before midterm congressional elections.

"We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3," the president wrote. "IRAN WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!"

Three US aircraft carriers will soon be in the Middle East, the New York Times said, adding that the Pentagon had developed a plan for a three-day campaign against Iran.

If a return to large-scale military operations in Iran goes ahead, the US expects it to be carried out in coordination with the IDF, N12 reported.

A report from the Times added that the US military has drafted options for a short return to strikes, noting that planned targets include Iran's drone and missile arsenal, energy infrastructure, and military locations.

Senior officials told the Times and N12 that Trump had initiated preparations for a return to fighting, contrary to his recent rhetoric on Truth Social.

---

THE JERUSALEM POST Founded in 1932 by GERSHON AGRON

ZVIKA KLEIN

Editor-in-Chief

ALEX WINSTON, News Editor ETHAN FREEDMAN, Night Editor TAL SPUNGIN, Managing Editor

HERB KEINON and SETH J. FRANTZMAN, Senior Contributing Editors

ERICA SCHACHNE, Magazine Editor AARON REICH, Op-Ed Editor

AUDREY LYNN LEINOFF, Supervising Editor

MARC ISRAEL SELLEM, Chief Photographer ELAINE MOSHE, Archivist

---

Abbas's failure

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas postponed legislative elections on Saturday, replacing the November 28 vote with a promise of presidential and parliamentary elections on September 11, 2027.

His decree cited Israeli actions and deteriorating conditions across Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem.

Palestinians last elected a president in 2005 and a legislature in 2006. Abbas's presidential mandate expired in 2009. An entire generation has reached adulthood without choosing its national leadership.

Responsibility for that prolonged failure rests heavily with the Palestinian leaders who have retained power throughout it.

Palestinians deserve the opportunity to replace their rulers peacefully. Israel also has an interest in credible Palestinian institutions that can maintain security, implement agreements, and exercise authority over armed factions.

Building such institutions requires sustained reform, enforceable rules, and leaders prepared to accept limits on their power.

Hamas's victory in the 2006 legislative election and its subsequent violent takeover of Gaza must inform any discussion of another vote. The organization responsible for the October 7 massacre cannot acquire a legitimate claim to govern while retaining its terrorist infrastructure.

Its weapons threaten Israeli lives and the freedom of Palestinians to organize, campaign, and disagree.

Participation should therefore require renouncing terrorism, recognizing Israel, accepting existing agreements, and dismantling independent armed forces. These obligations must apply equally to every faction and be verified in practice.

A credible election also requires an independent electoral commission, accessible voter registration, impartial courts, and protection for journalists and opposition candidates.

Voters must be able to criticize the Palestinian Authority without fear. Parties must commit to respecting the results and allowing future elections, including when their own hold on office is threatened.

Abbas should publish a timetable for those reforms, with deadlines that can be assessed before September 2027. Preparations for polling and international monitoring should proceed alongside transparent public finances, scrutiny of security institutions, and action against incitement.

Donors should condition support for governing institutions on measurable progress, with humanitarian assistance protected so ordinary Palestinians are spared the cost of their leaders' failures.

Governments that have recognized a Palestinian state have a particular responsibility to insist on these standards. Their diplomatic commitments should be followed by scrutiny of how Palestinian institutions operate. Recognition creates no guarantee that a government respects its citizens, controls its territory, and intends to live peacefully alongside Israel.

Israel has responsibilities too. Its government should work toward practical arrangements for voting, election observers, and necessary movement, consistent with protecting Israeli citizens.

Specific restrictions should be justified by concrete security needs and reviewed when circumstances change. Facilitating credible Palestinian government can serve Israel's long-term interests.

Jerusalem voting arrangements will require careful negotiation. Security concerns must be addressed through workable procedures, while Palestinian leaders must demonstrate that they are pursuing solutions in good faith. Progress on electoral independence, financial transparency, and political freedoms can begin immediately, even while difficult logistical questions remain unresolved.

The new election date should carry obligations that can be checked throughout the coming year. Abbas should face regular public scrutiny over what has changed, which commitments remain unmet, and who is responsible. Palestinian civil society deserves access to that information and space to challenge official explanations.

Palestinians need accountable leadership, and Israelis need reliable security.

Elections conducted within a reformed political system can advance both interests. The months ahead should be used to establish the freedoms, safeguards, and enforceable commitments that give a future vote meaning.

---

INBAR ASHKENAZI, CEO Jerusalem Post Group

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Trump is not Israel's kingmaker

personality arrangements collapse.

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump points during a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, last week. (Evan Vucci/Reuters)

\- By SHMUEL LEGESSE

Israel owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the United States – to Democratic and Republican administrations, to president Joe Biden for standing beside us after the horror of October 7, to President Donald Trump for confronting Iran and advancing the Abraham Accords, to Evangelical Christians who have defended the Jewish state when others abandoned it, and above all to the American people.

Yet gratitude must never become submission, because Israel's prime minister must be chosen by Israelis in Jerusalem, not by a president, donors, or political strategists gathered at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump has said that staying out of Israel's October 27 election would be appropriate. He has also suggested that he might endorse someone. More recently, he shared an article highlighting a poll favorable to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc.

That may not constitute a formal endorsement, but in a close election, it is political intervention by suggestion. Our country is not a client state, an Evangelical political project, or a Trump-branded Middle Eastern property. Gaza is not an empty beachfront awaiting luxury towers, and Israel is not a corporation whose controlling shares belong to foreign patrons.

We are a sovereign democracy whose citizens bury the dead, send children to war, and live with the consequences.

Trump understands the power of uncertainty. By saying that he may endorse a candidate without naming one, he encourages every Israeli contender to seek his approval. Netanyahu can present himself as Trump's natural partner. His challengers must assure Washington that they will protect the alliance.

Trump gains leverage before casting a single political coin. This is not merely affection for Netanyahu. Trump values loyalty, public credit, and the image of being the decisive dealmaker. He sees diplomacy through transactions, leverage, and visible victories.

That approach can produce breakthroughs, as the Abraham Accords demonstrated. But nations are communities of memory and responsibility, not properties to be acquired, redesigned, and branded.

Netanyahu understands this theater. For years, he has used photographs, speeches, and meetings with American presidents to reinforce the argument that only he can manage Israel's most important alliance. His message is familiar: Without me, Israel will be isolated. Without me, Washington will turn away. Without me, the country is unsafe.

That is not democratic confidence. It is manufactured dependency. Israel's future also cannot be managed by a narrow diplomatic circle embodied by Netanyahu's longtime confidant Ron Dermer, despite his experience.

Dermer helped cultivate American and Gulf relationships. But diplomacy conducted mainly through leaders, billionaires, investment channels, and palace intermediaries leaves ordinary citizens outside the room. Israel needs institutions, public accountability and many voices, not one prime minister, one emissary, and one foreign patron.

THE RISE of Gadi Eisenkot exposes the weakness of that argument. Israelis themselves have presented another credible leader: a former military chief with decades of security experience, personal sacrifice, and a reputation for sobriety. Recent polling has placed Eisenkot's Yashar Party near or ahead of Likud, and one survey showed him leading Netanyahu as the public's preferred prime minister.

Americans do not have to support Eisenkot. Trump does not have to like him. Evangelical donors do not have to agree with every decision he may make. But they must respect the possibility that Israeli citizens, after October 7, want a different kind of leadership less theatrical, less divisive and more accountable.

Trump should promise not to endorse a candidate. American political organizations and major donors should show the same restraint. They may support Israel and advocate for their beliefs, but money, access, and presidential prestige should not select its government.

Israeli candidates must also stop campaigning as applicants for American approval. They should tell voters what they will do about security, diplomacy, living costs, national service, social inclusion, and the failures of October 7. Their mandate must come from Israelis.

The next government should protect the American alliance as a relationship between democratic nations, not political personalities. Israel worked with Biden despite disagreements. It can work with Trump without surrendering its independence. Institutional alliances endure;

Eisenkot should make this principle central to his campaign. He can thank Trump for his contributions, honor Evangelical friendship, and recognize Biden's support during Israel's crisis while stating clearly that no outside leader will receive a veto over Israeli democracy. That position is not anti-American. It is the foundation of an alliance between equals.

I write as an Ethiopian-born Israeli-American who loves both countries. Ethiopia taught me the power of ancient black Jewish identity, resilience, and human dignity. America taught me the importance of constitutional government and peaceful transfers of power. Israel taught me that Jewish sovereignty carries responsibility.

Those lessons lead to the same conclusion: Friends may advise, assist, and disagree, but citizens must decide. Israel's election belongs to the nurse in Jerusalem, the reservist returning from Gaza, the struggling family in Beersheba, the Arab teacher in Nazareth, and the Ethiopian-Israeli mother whose children serve a country that still too rarely allows her community to represent it.

My teacher, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z'l, expressed this principle clearly: "Whoever governs in Israel does so only under the authority delegated by God on the one hand, the people on the other." That covenantal principle applies equally to domestic politicians and foreign benefactors. Israel's democratic authority comes from its people, not from Mar-a-Lago, royal palaces, billionaires, or political donors.

President Trump may be Israel's friend. Evangelical Christians may be among Israel's most loyal supporters. President Biden and millions of Americans deserve our gratitude.

But none of them is Israel's kingmaker. Let the citizens of Israel choose. If they choose Gadi Eisenkot, Washington should respect that decision.

Israel's future must be decided in Jerusalem, not at Mar-a-Lago.

The writer is a former New York City Supreme Court detective, an investigator and educator in conflict resolution and restorative peace, and a moral diplomacy expert. His upcoming book, Moral Diplomacy for a Broken World, is inspired by the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

The Ben-Gvir effect

• By DEBORAH DANINO HARKHAM

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has become a sort of political lightning rod, drawing high-voltage tension and intense global and domestic criticism.

While the obvious reasons for this widespread antipathy concern firstly his positions – death penalty for terrorists, voluntary emigration of Gazans, expansion of Jewish settlement, opposition to Palestinian statehood, to name but a few – they do not explain by themselves this peculiar phenomenon.

However “radical” one may consider them to be, these substantial positions, backed by a long-standing ideology, remain political stances that can be supported, opposed, or debated on their own terms.

Beyond his political program, it is also Ben-Gvir's manner (or lack thereof) that is being targeted: the theatrical provocations, the confrontational language and the social media stunts. From suggesting a moat of crocodiles around a prison holding Hamas terrorists to publicly humiliating the Gaza flotilla terror supporters, Ben-Gvir understands the power of an image.

And he uses it as a method, a method whose impact is reaching far beyond Israel's borders, making the debate around him more existential than political. All these, combined with his unapologetic Jewish pride and his rejection of political correctness codes, trigger a revealing reaction, the "Ben-Gvir effect."

The recent statements by U2 band member Bono about the Israeli minister illustrate the reach of this effect.

The Irish singer not only compared Ben-Gvir's remarks about Gazans to the rhetoric of Heinrich Himmler, the architect of the Nazi extermination machinery, but he also claimed that the leader of Otzma Yehudit had put Judaism "in the shade."

Whatever one thinks of Ben-Gvir's words, this shift from criticizing a politician or a specific policy to conflating them with Judaism itself deserves scrutiny, because it goes deeper than the standard debate over extremism.

Ben-Gvir may be a lightning rod, and a convenient one, but he did not create the storm that has been gathering above Israel and the Jews since October 7.

He was democratically elected to the Knesset, and his party, which recent polls put at around eight seats in the upcoming elections, is an important component of the current coalition. His critics on the Left see a threat to democracy and the rule of law, and the ones on the right view his provocations as a liability to quieter diplomacy.

He and his party, treated as pariahs for many years, are now part of the political mainstream, whether one likes it or not. In fact, their ideology is not far removed from the historic Right. The core difference lies in language and the Jewish part of the equation.

The new generation of the modern national-religious camp has left the European reference point and its anxieties behind.

Instead, they return to a native Jewish and religious character, rooted in the reality of being here, with no regard for convention or the sensibilities of Western audiences – whom Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is so familiar with.

The national security minister feels no need to moderate his tone when speaking about Jewish sovereignty or particularism.

The backlash against Ben-Gvir thus often shifts from moral objection to personal scrutiny, evoking historical, antisemitic caricatures of the Jew. Yet Ben-Gvir, who, to some extent, projects this image of himself, uses it as a tool of political deterrence. Focusing on the image, however, obscures what matters more.

Beyond aesthetics, the “Ben-Gvir effect” exposes an ancient anxiety: the Western world tolerates the Jew under subjection, but hates and fears the Jew who exerts sovereign power. While this hostility does not make all criticism antisemitic, it does seem to be rooted in it.

Abroad, Ben-Gvir is often collapsed with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich into a single patronizing category, the “Ben-Gvirs and Smotriches,” Israel’s convenient symbol for a threatening extreme.

By reducing him to a caricature, one avoids engaging with the real ideas he embodies, ideas that are an integral part of Israel's democratic political landscape.

Ultimately, the disproportionate rage surrounding him exposes the global and domestic difficulty of accommodating a specific, unapologetic figure: the Jew on his own land, claiming spiritual attachment, possessing raw political power, and refusing to apologize for any of it.

BEHIND BEN-GVIR'S positions lies a strong national-religious conception of Israel that has acquired a larger audience since October 7, as many Israelis are asking questions about identity, sovereignty, and security with a renewed sense of urgency.

Thus, the visceral secular reaction to Ben-Gvir hides something even deeper than just an aversion to his bad manners and alleged racist positions. The problem lies with what he represents: a loud, proud, nationalist religious Jew.

And this Jew, for many in Israel and abroad, is difficult to come to terms with. He is the antithesis of the “court Jew,” the cosmopolitan and universalist Jew who has had to master the codes of the surrounding society to survive, a Jew not necessarily unproud but careful about particularism, and accommodating about his identity.

He is also quite different from the “New Hebrew,” the socialist and secular pioneer, symbol of the building of the country. But this evolution is not simply about style; it is a transformation of the Jewish character itself.

And this Jewish part of the equation is unsettling to secular culture. Beyond beliefs, it is the very existence of a visibly religious person that inevitably raises questions that modern European tradition has relegated to the private sphere: God, transcendence and meaning. And although these questions never disappeared, they were toned down within Israel's secular-Zionist tradition.

This friction could help explain the discomfort surrounding Ben-Gvir. He is not simply promoting a national-religious agenda; he wears his Jewish identity and attachment to the land openly, refusing to translate them into a universalist vocabulary. He brings his faith out of the private sphere, thrusting it into questions of sovereignty, land, national identity and political power.

While the place of religion in the Jewish state has been a fault line in Israeli society since its creation, and has been dividing Israelis long before October 7, it has become a very raw existential battlefield as it occupies more space within the public debate.

Considering the Jewish particularity of Israel, this conversation needs to happen. But for it to happen, Israel and its citizens need to allow for an accepting, tolerant, and inclusive space, without knee-jerk reactions, without violence, and with a genuine will to understand the other. From his newly gained position, Ben-Gvir himself could actually be helping to bridge these differences.

The Ben-Gvir effect has brought front stage a long-muted Jewish nationalism, attracting intense animosity but also discreet curiosity from Western leaders seeking strategies against radical Islamism and terror.

To capitalize on this attention, Ben-Gvir must change his method from mere provocation to more serious communication, and adopt a syntax that speaks to the international community without compromise or accommodation.

This gives the national-religious camp an opportunity to assert their ideology into the mainstream as an impossible-to-ignore reality in Israel and abroad. Ultimately, the fierce reaction Ben-Gvir triggers reveals as much about those responding as it does about the man himself.

The author holds a PhD from Tel Aviv University and is a regular contributor on Zionism, Israeli society, and Jewish identity.

9 days from antisemitism plan to antisemitic post

\- By MICHA DANZIG

On September 29, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled his plan to combat antisemitism. He noted that Jews are about $12\%$ of the city's population but the victims of roughly half its reported hate crimes. He promised a city where Jews would be "not only safe, but celebrated" and pledged more money for hate-crime prevention.

On October 7, the third anniversary of the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, he posted a statement that undid every word of it.

That post, viewed more than 13 million times, runs about 210 words. Roughly 50 concern October 7. Some 140 indict Israel: An “ongoing genocide in Gaza,” “occupation and apartheid,” food aid “turned away,” and “our tax dollars” funding “war crimes.” Hamas is named once and never again. By the end, Israel is the only perpetrator.

This is now how antisemites posing as mourners mark the date. Mamdani wrote that Hamas “killed more than 1,100 Israelis,” dropping the foreign workers from Thailand, Nepal, and elsewhere among the roughly 1,200 dead. His statement has no women raped at the Nova music festival, no children shot in front of their parents, no families burned alive in their safe rooms, no terrorist hacking the head off a body while another filmed it on a GoPro. It never mentions Kfir Bibas, abducted at nine months old and murdered in Gaza along with his four-year-old brother, Ariel, and their mother, Shiri. Hamas's conduct over the next two years also goes unmentioned.

That conduct answers the question he dodges: who kept this war going? Brett McGurk, president Joe Biden's lead hostage negotiator and no Benjamin Netanyahu partisan, served an administration that paused arms shipments to Israel. His new book describes Hamas lying about how many hostages it held, refusing to release the young women promised under the November 2023 deal, and sitting for weeks on an American offer that met most of its demands while six hostages – among them Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, and Eden Yerushalmi – were murdered in a tunnel under Rafah. McGurk says the war would never have ended without the hostages coming home. Hamas spent two years bargaining over the living and the dead.

Mamdani's numbers fare no better. His "more than 21,000 children" comes from Hamas's health ministry, which in March 2025 quietly dropped some 3,400 "fully identified" deaths from its lists, 1,080 of them children. His "more than 1,400 Palestinians" killed since the ceasefire includes at least 420 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists and ignores the dozens of Gazans Hamas executed in the streets to reassert control. As for food aid "turned away," a UNICEF-coordinated survey in July put acute malnutrition in Gaza at $0.2\%$ to $0.8\%$ , at or below prewar levels and far under the global child-wasting rate of nearly $7\%$ . Gazans have described Hamas seizing aid in the war it started and reselling it to them at black-market prices.

Every number he cites is Hamas's, and every fact he omits indicts Hamas.

Mamdani blames every destroyed building on Israel, too. Hamas dug some 600 kilometers of tunnels beneath Gaza's homes, schools and hospitals and let no civilian shelter in them. Senior official Mousa Abu Marzouk said in October 2023 that the tunnels were for fighters and that protecting civilians was the UN's and Israel's job. When the IDF warned Gazans to leave combat zones, Hamas told them to stay. A mayor honoring the dead might have mentioned the terrorist army that used them as cover.

MAMDANI IS right that the suffering did not begin on October 7, but the history undercuts his antisemitic fable. Arab mobs murdered Jews in Jerusalem in 1920, Jaffa in 1921, and Hebron in 1929, where in a single morning they slaughtered 67 Jews after the circle around Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem and the era's dominant Palestinian Arab leader, spread the lie that Jews were plotting against al-Aqsa. There was no Jewish state then, and no "occupation" to blame.

Husseini's leadership rejected a Palestinian Arab state in 1937, 1939, and 1947. He spent World War II in Berlin as Adolf Hitler's honored guest, urging Arabs over Nazi radio to kill Jews wherever they found them. His successors were offered a Palestinian Arab state in 2000, 2001, and 2008 and refused each time. In 2005 Israel pulled every soldier and civilian out of Gaza; Hamas answered with terror, rockets, a violent takeover and, eventually, October 7. Hamas's charter declares the land from the river to the sea an Islamic trust no one may surrender and quotes a hadith about Muslims killing Jews. Ninety-four years after Hebron, Hamas named its invasion and massacre "Al-Aqsa Flood." From the mufti to Hamas, the through-line is a violent, fascist Islamist rejection of Jewish sovereignty anywhere in the land.

NYC MAYOR Zohran Mamdani addresses attendees at an event in New York City earlier this month. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

None of this is hidden. The mayor left it out on purpose.

The genocide-libel itself collapses against the record. Genocidal regimes do not warn civilians to evacuate, pause fighting to vaccinate children against polio, or truck food to the people they are supposedly exterminating. In every genocide on record, the killers controlled when the killing stopped. In Gaza, Hamas could have ended the war any day by freeing the hostages and surrendering. Spreading that libel as mayor of the largest Jewish city outside Israel is reckless at best.

The results are measurable. NYPD data show anti-Jewish hate crimes up about 8% in the first eight months of his tenure, with Jews targeted in more than half of all confirmed hate crimes. When the plan was announced, Israel's consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, warned that antisemitism would keep rising until the mayor recognized his own anti-Israel language as its main driver. Nine days later, the mayor delivered that same language to an audience of millions.

Most Jewish New Yorkers have no use for grant programs from a mayor who marks one of the worst days in Jewish history by calling the Jewish state a “genocidal apartheid regime funded by their taxes.” They have seen where that rhetoric leads: to their campuses, their synagogues, their streets.

Mamdani's plan was written to show he takes antisemitism seriously. His October 7 statement showed it was written to give him cover for the hatred he keeps feeding.

The writer is an attorney, former IDF soldier, and former NYPD officer. He writes widely on Israel, Zionism, antisemitism, and Jewish history. He serves on the board of Herut North America.

Antisemitism doesn't need facts

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE for US Senate Abdul El-Sayed is seen speaking at a campaign stop in Michigan earlier this month. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters)

• By COOKIE SCHWAEBER-ISSAN

If you've been paying attention over the last three years, you've repeatedly heard the slanderous accusations that Israel has committed genocide against Gazans. You've heard that Zionists are racists and oppressors, and you've heard that the Jewish homeland was founded on the occupation of Arab lands.

What you haven't heard are any explanations, justifications, or contextual evidence for those very libelous claims, which, in large part, have been the catalyst, fueling the rapid spread of antisemitism.

There are reasons why those things aren't forthcoming. In a brilliant article titled "Call it 'genocide' before all the facts are known," October 2, writer Micha Danzig outlines the winning formula that's worked throughout history when it comes to fomenting Jewish hatred.

Danzig quotes Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who said: "Genocide needn't wait for all the facts." He knows that history has proven that antisemitic libels have succeeded without furnishing any facts.

El-Sayed realizes the power of words, and that is why he believes that getting in front of an action, by calling it a damning libel, is useful when spreading the hate. In his world, facts are an inconvenient annoyance that require verification and supportive testimony. Why take on that burden when, simply by inference, you can heighten the effectiveness of what you're purporting?

This has been the secret weapon of those who have taken the side of terrorists, whether they realize it or not, attempting to smear Jews and their ancestral homeland. By linking the IDF to a genocide, they can depict an entire country as evil monsters, whose goal is to slaughter all of its people.

Danzig recalled a recent Scott Galloway podcast, in which El-Sayed was confronted over his fallacious genocide assertion, countering it with the actions of Israel having supplied Gazans with food, humanitarian aid, polio vaccines, and the distribution of printed warnings to evacuate certain areas before a military operation is started.

Galloway concludes that since “no other genocidal regime has ever done anything like that,” it stands to reason that Israel does not fit the profile of a country whose intent it is to annihilate the people of Gaza.

With no convincing comeback, El-Sayed, at that point, concedes that use of the word "genocide" prevents the crime from becoming big. In other words, by his reckoning, preemptively throwing out the charge will somehow stave off the actual atrocity.

Here is why that distorted way of thinking is just a cover-up for the real aim. Because the moment a criminal accusation, such as the wholesale murder of an entire race is leveled, there is no taking it back. That vicious lie makes its way around the globe at record speed, the real endgame of antisemites.

Tickling the ears of folks already predisposed to believe the worst about Jews, it's one of those delicious morsels spoken of in the book of Proverbs - "The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body" (18:9).

Once there, they ruminate, taking on a life form, which helps to embellish and create an even greater distaste towards the Jewish people.

DANZIG REMINDS us that this is how centuries of atrocities were committed against the Jews – all starting with a vile allegation of evil, committed by either one person or a collective Jewish community. As word spread, Jews were murdered in the most inhumane ways or forced to leave the places they thought were home.

Resorting to libel has always been a clever strategy when it comes to the Jews, and this time it's no different than what was done multiple times throughout many centuries.

That is why inferring that a genocide is taking place works. Once it's repeated over and over again, the stain becomes permanent regardless of its veracity. El-Sayed knows this, but he's not alone in his deliberate manipulation of trying to foment anti-Israel sentiment.

For him, it's a natural offshoot of his radical Islamic views, just as it is for congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. For others, who don't come from that religious background, such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the genocide term packs a punch, showing that she is part of the team that holds the Jewish state with contempt.

Scoring her political points, AOC gains the advantage without having to substantiate why she also asserts that a genocide is taking place in Gaza. For podcasters, who want to up their listening audience, they, too, know that such explosive claims are good for their ratings.

Just look at how Candace Owens has substantially increased her following by jumping on the bandwagon of “Jews being responsible for all of the world’s ills.” Business has never been better for her!

In my recent AllIsrael News article titled "Can we get details on the genocide you say is happening," I mentioned the fallout for Israel as a result of the genocide accusation.

At least five countries boycotted the Eurovision Song Contest, refusing to compete if Israel was permitted to participate. This is only one trivial consequence that has resulted from a well-executed smear campaign, designed to injure the standing of Jews.

Other punitive measures have come in the form of our soldiers and prime minister being unable to travel freely throughout the world, for fear of being arrested in various locales, for war crimes that were never committed.

Jews, throughout the world, have been the targets of unjustified persecution and the victims of character assassination. Israel has become a reproach, synonymous with disapproval and shameful actions.

But this was the plan all along. Systematically plant the seed of disgrace and humiliation, and the Jewish state goes down in reputational flames, undoing nearly eight decades of service to humanity along with the many technological advances which have blessed mankind, all courtesy of the Jewish race.

In this dishonest and calculated game of defaming Israel, every dirty trick is up for grabs, with the goal being total isolation from the rest of civilized society. Ironically, those who smear and besmirch the only democracy in the Middle East end up on the side of the most barbaric and inhumane savages that have ever lived.

As Danzig says, El-Sayed is just another, in a long line of “purveyors of the world’s oldest hatred.” For him, facts don’t matter, because he’s managed to do very well for himself without them.

The writer, a former principal of Jerusalem elementary and middle schools, was a member of Kibbutz Re'im from 1994 to 1999. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs, available on Amazon.

Better 'hasbara' won't save us

LIVING THE DREAM

• By URI PILICHOWSKI had gone too far and that open annihilation had become embarrassing.

When I was 19, my father and I took my rabbi, Sinai Adler, to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington because the rabbi was a survivor, and he refused to believe that the American government kept a permanent exhibition in which it admitted it could have interrupted the machinery of Auschwitz and chose not to.

He needed to see the admission with his own eyes. The gallery held a US War Department letter explaining the decision not to bomb the rail lines and a reconnaissance photograph of the camp taken from an American bomber. That photograph was made 17 days after Rabbi Adler had been brought through the gate.

As we walked out, my father tried to lift him. The halls were thick with school groups, and most of the children were not Jewish, which my father offered as proof that the world had learned something and that the next generation would not repeat the crime. Rabbi Adler answered that they were only coming to study their mistakes and to learn how to do it better the next time.

Years later, in a study hall in Israel, a student told him that German visitors were standing at the back of the room. They had come, they said, to see the miracle of the Jewish state. Students argued that these Germans had not been alive during the war and that six decades had passed. Rabbi Adler had them removed from the campus.

Those two scenes can be filed under trauma if you want an easy label. Rabbi Adler was a careful reader and a disciplined mind, and the conclusions he drew did not begin in shock.

He returned again and again to the Talmudic teaching that Esau hates Jacob. He treated that line as an operating instruction. Gentiles will persecute Jews, and a Jew who forgets that fact is unprepared for what history holds.

I hear the same complaint about Israel that I have heard for years. If only the country explained itself more clearly, if only the press operation were sharper, the world would grant the benefit of the doubt and perhaps even real support, especially after the massacre of October 7.

The evidence offered for that hope is the long stretch of Western backing that Israel enjoyed through most of its first seven decades. There were breaks in that pattern.

US President Dwight D. Eisenhower threatened Israel over the Sinai campaign of 1956. France embargoed arms on the eve of the Six Day War. Boycott campaigns gathered in universities and unions. Still, until about three years ago, the West as a bloc treated Israel as a partner more often than as a defendant.

The hope that better public relations will restore that climate misreads the record. Rabbi Adler and the sages were right about the ground under our feet. Antisemitism is the baseline we can count on. Support is the exception.

A COMMON theory holds that the goodwill of those first decades was an aftershock of the Holocaust, a period in which even polished antisemites understood that Europe

That aftershock never erased the double standard. Friends still applied rules to Jerusalem that they would not apply to themselves. The pockets of hostility were the older pattern showing through the courtesy. The courtesy has worn off. The Holocaust survivor bump has ended. Baseline antisemitism has returned. We can argue about the date it faded.

But its end is no longer in dispute.

Support from Evangelical Christians is the large exception that still holds, and it grows out of their theology rather than out of a sudden affection for Jewish power.

Other help arrived from sources that were moral and strategic at once. US president John F. Kennedy approved weapons sales. US politician Henry M. Jackson tied aid for the Soviet Union to the release of Jews who wanted to leave. American president Richard Nixon ordered the airlift that kept Israel standing in the Yom Kippur War.

Those acts matter, and we should remember them with gratitude. They do not rewrite the longer pattern. Not all the gentiles hate us all of the time, but most gentiles will hate us most of the time. History is stubborn on this point for anyone who finds the sentence extreme.

Zionism began because that pattern would not dissolve. For two thousand years millions of Jews absorbed hatred and exile as a condition of life and waited for gentile mercy to improve.

Early Zionists first trusted emancipation and the Enlightenment to repair the Jewish situation from outside. When the repair failed, they concluded that the Jewish people needed a state of their own, a place that could shield them from persecution, let them work at full capacity, and for many restore a life of sanctity in their own land.

At eye level from Rabbi Adler's seat in his study sat a set of Mishna books that he liked to take down for guests. The volumes had been printed in Berlin in 1936, three years after Hitler took office and three years before the first mass killings.

The publisher added an introduction that explained away the Mishna warnings about trusting gentiles. Those laws, the introduction said, belonged to an ancient world in which pagans hated Jews. The German gentile of the present was the most refined man civilization had produced. Jews could rely on him and did not need to apply the old suspicion. The books were still on the shelf when the refined men began the work the introduction had declared impossible.

The belief that Jews can talk the nations into permanent friendship treats 20 centuries of evidence as a public-relations problem. "Never again" was not coined to fund a better press office.

It was coined to remind Jews what happens when they rest their survival on the goodwill of people who have already shown them the limit of that goodwill.

The museum photograph, the German visitors at the back of the hall, and the Berlin Mishna of 1936 belong to one argument. Learn the baseline. Build as if the exception will not last. Keep the state strong enough that the next improvement in gentile technique never gets its laboratory.

The anatomy of deflection Civilizational unity, historical facts define Iran's future – not transnational separatist movements

• By TINA GHAZIMORAD

My recent article in The Jerusalem Post issued a critical warning to Israeli and Western strategists: Do not jeopardize the historic, civilizational bond with the Iranian people by flirting with marginal, transnational separatist factions. Predictably, the piece provoked a flurry of angry, highly personalized reactions from anonymous quarters and regionalist echo chambers.

Rather than addressing the hard geopolitical, demographic, and historical facts I raised, these counter-arguments resorted to emotional deflection and historical revisionism. This visceral anger and the complete evasion of historical evidence, however, only serve to validate the core arguments of my thesis. To misread the reality of Iran at this critical historical juncture is a luxury neither Israel nor the free world can afford. The narrative presented by these critics is fundamentally detached from reality, completely falling apart when confronted with seven undeniable truths.

FIRST, MY critics deliberately misinterpret antiquity and my invocation of Bistun and Taq-e Bostan. I referenced these monumental landmarks in the Kermanshah province to highlight an undeniable civilizational continuity. These ancient monuments prove that for over 2,500 years, this region has been a foundational pillar and a vital core of Iranian national sovereignty and territory, not a peripheral borderland waiting to be fractured.

Second, they attempt to obscure the clear line I drew between ordinary citizens and transnational separatists, calling it a “false dichotomy.” This is a classic distortion. My article explicitly separated the patriotic majority of the population from “transnational separatist movements.” It is these transnational cults and factions that actively pursue separation, whereas the actual population remains deeply integrated into the fabric of the nation.

Third, they entirely erase the strongholds of Iranian nationalism: Kermanshah and Ilam. My critics imply that the identity of the people in the western provinces is entirely defined by the political ambitions of armed rebel groups. They conveniently ignore the demographic and ideological reality of major urban centers including Kermanshah, the most populous Kurdish city in the region, and Ilam that have historically stood as fortresses of Iranian patriotism. In Kurdish regions, the local cultural identity is recognized not as an opposition to Iran, but as the most authentic and ancient narrative of being Iranian.

Fourth, they politically exploit shared suffering, attempting to weaponize selective regional cases to paint a picture of an isolated, uniquely targeted territory. This is not a valid analytical response; it is a distortion of tragedy. The Islamic Republic's brutal execution apparatus does not target an isolated area; it commits atrocities across the entirety of Iran. Just on Monday, October 5, 2026, the regime executed Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raeisi, two young protesters arrested during the uprisings in Isfahan. When young citizens from the heart of Isfahan face the exact same gallows, it proves that state terror is a structural affliction holding the entire nation hostage. Weaponizing this universal Iranian tragedy to legitimize the political ambitions of armed, factional groups is a grotesque deflection from a shared national struggle against a common oppressor.

Fifth, there is a telling and total silence from my critics regarding the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), its leader, and their anti-Israel legacy. This glaring omission is proof of intellectual bankruptcy. They completely evade the fact that many transnational separatist movements look up to Abdullah Ocalan as a foundational figure, despite Ocalan's continuous anti-Israel legacy. Furthermore, they have no defense against the historical fact that the PKK operated as a proxy for the Assad regime, trained alongside armed anti-Israel Palestinian factions in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley front, and fought directly against Israel. Because certain armed groups operating in Iran are direct branches of this terrorist PKK network, my critics completely censor this history, knowing it destroys their attempt to appeal to an international audience.

Sixth, my critics deliberately rewrite the history of the 1979 catastrophe to hide their own role in Iran's destabilization. Armed regional factions were an active part of the disastrous 1979 coalition – alongside Islamists, Marxists, and Mossadeghists – that brought down the nation. Leaders like Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou openly pledged allegiance to Ayatollah Khomeini, only to later clash over the spoils of the revolution when the Islamists turned around and purged them.

If these timed factions, disguised as political parties, truly sought a democratic, unified Iran rather than secession, why did they immediately exploit the country's chaotic vulnerability just days after February 11, 1979, the exact day the previous regime fell and the Islamists seized power? Specifically, on February 20, 1979, a mere nine days after the revolution, they aggressively raided and looted the national army garrison in Mahabad, assassinating its commander and stealing heavy weaponry, including tanks, heavy artillery pieces, and thousands of rifles. They then marched on Sanandaj, and had it not been for the fierce resistance of the Iranian National Army's 28th Division garrison, they would have completely captured the city.

Let us ask an honest question to an international audience: Would the Israeli government or public ever tolerate a so-called political faction that raids and captures an IDF base? Calling these militant groups “freedom fighters” is an insult to sovereign nations.

FIGHTERS WITH the Kurdistan Workers' Party line up during a disarmament ceremony last year. Transnationalist separatist groups are not the path to Iran's future, the writer maintains. (Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters)

Finally, they seek to erase the historical reality of local resistance, such as the Paveh events of August 1979. They imply that armed groups have always naturally represented the collective will of the local population. History records otherwise. During that critical juncture, it was the local, indigenous patriotic population of Paveh in Kermanshah province who actively took up arms and resisted the violent, armed incursion of separatist factions. This historical event proves that the people themselves have historically been the first line of defense for Iran's territorial integrity against armed groups.

ULTIMATELY, THE angry reactions to my piece fail to counter its core warning. By flirting with marginal, transnational separatist elements, outside powers risk alienating the patriotic majority of the Iranian public.

The true, lasting strategic asset for Israel and the West is the 2,500-year-old civilizational bond with a unified Iranian nation, not short-sighted investments in armed factions like the PKK and its branches that carry a historical legacy of hostility toward the West. We must look toward a future democratic Iran based on historical territorial integrity, national unity, individual liberty, and equality before the law.

The writer is the communications director to Prince Reza Pahlavi and an Iranian journalist who previously served as editor-in-chief of news at Manoto TV, a UK-based Persian-language television network.

The pager that shattered Nasrallah's myth

• By SALEM ALKETBI

The second anniversary of the pager operation is a reminder that the first thing to explode on September 17, 2024, was not thousands of small devices. It was the carefully cultivated aura of invulnerability that Hassan Nasrallah had built around himself.

For years, the Hezbollah leader had appeared from his hide-out, boasting about missiles, tunnels, and “surprises,” asking the Lebanese to believe that his disappearance was strategic brilliance. The terrorist group could see without being seen, strike without being touched.

Then an old-fashioned device exposed the reality. The organization that had cowed Lebanon through fear had been compromised through its own supply chain. Its leader, who threatened to bury his enemies, did not know his men were carrying booby-trapped devices.

This was not simply an intelligence coup worthy of a spy thriller. Israeli intelligence had constructed a false reality in which Hezbollah operated with complete confidence. Public investigations and the book In the War Room trace the idea's origins to 2002-2006, during Meir Dagan's tenure.

Around 2014, Mossad and Israeli military intelligence began introducing wireless devices into Hezbollah's network, monitoring them while retaining the option of detonation. In 2022, they turned to pagers: devices operatives would carry rather than leave in an office or warehouse.

Front companies, licensing arrangements, dummy websites, and stores gave a battery unavailable on the open market a convincing commercial identity. A Taiwanese brand and a supply chain stretching from Hungary to Hong Kong supplied the cover. The Mossad did not simply intercept a shipment. It created the product, marketed it, built its reputation, and cut the price until Hezbollah's procurement officials chose the trap themselves.

This was the difference between penetrating an organization and shaping the choices it believed were its own. The procurement process offered the appearance of control while delivering precisely what the adversary wanted.

They thought they were vetting a product. In reality, the product was exposing the organization.

A Reuters investigation found that explosives and a concealed detonator were built into the battery, allowing the devices to pass Hezbollah's security checks. Even when officials noticed that batteries drained faster than advertised, distribution continued.

The message and alert were designed to make recipients bring the device toward their faces and use both hands. The alert tone and explosive charge had been tested to produce the intended response. The Mossad had choreographed the movements of those carrying its bombs.

The bitterest irony was that Nasrallah himself helped the operation. In February 2024, he called mobile phones more dangerous than spies and urged his men to smash them, bury them, or lock them in metal boxes. Hezbollah accelerated its adoption of pagers. His warning did not create the operation, but it drove more men toward the prepared device. The leadership's fear had become a predictable procurement decision. Hezbollah had chosen its own poisoned remedy.

I see something deeper here than a procurement mistake. An entire security doctrine collapsed: secrecy supposedly meant switching off a phone, while the enemy was manufacturing the alternative.

At 3:30 p.m. on September 17, the devices began to ring. Roughly 3,000 exploded. The next day came the wireless devices, some held by Hezbollah for nearly a decade. Dozens were killed and more than 3,400 wounded. Devices had been distributed among fighters, commanders, support personnel, and affiliated medics. The penetration even reached Iran's ambassador. The target was the infrastructure that enabled an Iranian-backed militia to operate as a state within Lebanon.

MORE IMPORTANT, in my view, was the assault on trust. Anyone still carrying a device had reason to fear its battery. Those who watched colleagues fall simultaneously understood that the enemy had helped build the walls behind which they sheltered. The equipment meant to connect the organization had become a source of fear. Replacing it could restore communication, but could not erase the discovery that trusted channels had carried the enemy inside.

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu holds up a pager as he addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York City last month. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Two former Mossad officers described the intended psychological impact. Wafiq Safa, a close Nasrallah associate, later recounted that the attacks left him deeply shaken and barely eating for almost a day. The man who had spent his life instilling fear in the Lebanese discovered, days before his death, that fear had reached his own hideout.

The operation also opened a military campaign. On September 20, Ibrahim Aqil and Radwan Force commanders were killed. Strikes expanded to weapons depots, facilities, and positions. On September 27, Nasrallah was killed beneath the headquarters he had regarded as an impregnable fortress.

Intelligence derives its real power from turning secrets into paralysis and confusion at the moment military force can exploit them. Without the subsequent strikes, the explosions would have remained an extraordinary intelligence feat. Their succession made the operation the opening phase of a broader dismantling.

Nasrallah had built his authority on the belief that obscurity proved knowledge, disappearance meant immunity, and questioning the leadership betrayed resistance. The farther he withdrew, the more formidable he appeared. Secrecy became wisdom beyond scrutiny.

The pagers exposed what that mythology concealed. His disappearance was isolation. His secrecy hid ignorance of what entered his warehouses. His speeches promised deterrence while his security apparatus was already penetrated.

That is the weakness of closed ideological organizations. They confuse loyalty with competence and treat questions as betrayal. Eventually, the leader's word becomes a vulnerability no one dares challenge. A professional intelligence service could engineer the environment around its target; a terrorist militia had mistaken suspicion and obedience for security.

Two years later, Hezbollah can buy devices, change intermediaries, and rebuild parts of its network. It cannot turn the clock back to before the first ring.

The militia that claimed to protect Lebanon could not even protect its own supply chain. The leader who threatened to bury his enemies was himself buried beneath the concrete, along with the project he had built. And the Shi'ite community asked to believe in divine protection saw that an aura of sanctity could neither stop a signal nor reveal a compromised battery.

The most devastating part was that Hezbollah's own leadership had led its men, step by step, to the very tool Israel designed to reach them. In doing so, it shattered the image of Nasrallah as an infallible leader.

The writer is a UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate.

Iran is at the breaking point

The regime's greatest fear is what comes next

\- By ERFAN FARD

A nation of 90 million is watching its homeland being impoverished, terrorized, plundered, and driven toward the abyss by a ruling cult that would sooner destroy Iran than relinquish power.

For nearly half a century, the Islamic Republic has consumed the country it claims to govern – its wealth, dignity, security, and the hopes of generations. Now, as economic collapse, repression and the specter of war converge, Iran is approaching a historic breaking point: Will the regime that has held it captive since 1979 finally fall – or drag the country into the abyss with it?

Iran is engulfed in chaos, its economy already collapsing. An incompetent government, presided over by a subservient and populist president, convenes emergency meetings as the country descends deeper into crisis.

Yet Iranians no longer heed the regime's deceptive promises. The government has lost its grip on the economy and inflation, while Tehran's markets spiral into turmoil. Officials' hollow pronouncements and empty assurances no longer command the slightest credibility.

Only the regime's loyalists profit from the status quo, prepared to watch Iran be destroyed for their financial interests. This same circle has pillaged the country from end to end. Poverty and relentless inflation have brought Iran to its knees.

Since 1979, a criminal cult has ravaged, plundered, and suppressed the country in service of a fraudulent ideology, holding 90 million people captive. Its rulers now proclaim themselves “the superpower of the world,” boast of having “defeated America and Israel,” and warn that “the region will not be safe as long as even one American soldier remains in the Middle East.”

From state media to Friday-prayer pulpits, regime platforms threaten US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Islamic murderers and criminals relentlessly inflame hostility toward Israel and the United States.

The Islamic Republic is preparing for a broader war and has no desire for an agreement with Trump. Through deception and duplicity, it keeps him entangled in diplomacy and proclaims that deception a victory. The regime will not hand Trump the political triumph of an agreement, even at the price of every Iranian's life and Iran itself reduced to scorched earth.

Iran's military and security establishment remains committed to warmongering and crisis-making. Trump says Washington does not know whom to talk to in Iran. Then what purpose is served by this hollow theater of negotiations with Islamic murderers and terrorists? Six years of his presidency have pursued this impossible dream without producing a single signed agreement.

Meanwhile, Iranians live with profound insecurity, despair, and abandonment. Executions, torture, arrests, and persecution have become grim fixtures of ordinary life. The struggle for basic subsistence has left society paralyzed, angry, and exhausted. While ordinary citizens are denied prosperity and opportunity, money continues flowing to notorious religious institutions, the shadowy Shi'ite clerical mafia, the machinery of repression, and the regime's vast propaganda apparatus.

The regime is releasing criminals from prison, arming them with swords, knives, and sledgehammers, and unleashing them to threaten Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the only alternative and leader of Iran's national uprising – including explicit threats against his life.

ALONGSIDE THE regime stands a jealous, ambitious, and self-aggrandizing opposition: religious-nationalists, reformists, communists, Kurdish separatists (KDPI, Komala), anti-Israel and anti-American terrorists such as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), discredited human-rights activists, and mercenaries. Much of this opposition acts in concert, little more than puppets performing before cameras.

In the event of an American and Israeli attack, the regime intends to drag Iran into civil war and reactivate Islamic terrorist networks through the mosques. Its organic relationship with al-Qaeda and ISIS is becoming increasingly unmistakable, while Iran's borders remain open to them. Hashd al-Shaabi, the Fatemiyoun, the Zainabiyoun, and others are integral components of the Islamic Republic's machinery of repression.

The regime's propaganda apparatus promotes weapons training, as though a regime nearing collapse is preparing its supporters for urban warfare. Under the banner of confronting America and Israel, it provides military training with an unmistakable objective: to bring war into Iran's cities, streets, and alleyways. Islamic terrorists know neither peace nor the value of life and security.

Across Iranian cities, the atmosphere is increasingly one of war. People whisper: Will Trump launch the final attack? The country hangs like a pendulum in uncertainty, with law and order unraveling. The mullahs intensify street propaganda to drown out protest, yet a national uprising looms. The regime calls participants in its street spectacles – its “Islam Party” – fedayeen, echoing the political theater of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.

The Revolutionary Guards and security officials squander their days in endless meetings, terrified by the deepening crisis and sheltering behind a bankrupt, discredited government. Agriculture, industry, and production have ground to a halt. There is no coherent plan to regain control. The regime's security calculations are unraveling.

Iranians await another war in the hope that the bloodthirsty wolf of the Islamic Republic will finally be brought down. They hope Trump will finish the job – or allow Israel to eliminate the regime's thugs and criminals, layer by layer.

Meanwhile, the regime intensifies killings and executions, hoping to prevent economic misery, relentless inflation, soaring prices, and mounting social anguish from erupting into the “final battle.” Iran is passing through fateful days as urban repression intensifies. The regime’s ultimate nightmare is a popular uprising. A regime that kills its own people for daring to protest will stop at no crime to preserve its rule.

And yet, behind every headline about war, sanctions, missiles, and nuclear negotiations lies another Iran – the Iran of ordinary people who simply want to live. They want to raise their children without fear, put food on the table, walk their streets without repression, speak without looking over their shoulders, and grow old in the country they love.

For nearly half a century, generations of Iranians have watched their lives disappear into prisons, graves, exile, poverty, and shattered dreams. They are not asking the world to give them a country. They already have one – an ancient and beloved homeland called Iran.

They are asking for the chance to take it back. Ninety million people have waited long enough. In memory of the 50,000 slaughtered in Tehran's streets by the Shi'ite mullahs and IRGC thugs, who cried out, "This is the final battle - Pahlavi will return!" Iran deserves to live again. "Make Iran Great Again!"

Let us hope Washington has the resolve and unwavering will to make it happen.

The writer is a Middle East political analyst. His latest book, Tehran's Dictator, examines the theocratic era of Ali Khamenei (1989-2026). @EQFard

'It's a story that was burning in our hearts' Co-creator Avi Issacharoff on how 'Fauda' grapples with Oct. 7, show's popularity in Arab world

AVI ISSACHAROFF: We wanted to focus on October 7 and the Israeli side and what happened to Israel as a nation, as a society. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

LIOR RAZ in 'Fauda.' We 'are continuing with our mission of bringing more good content to the world. It's not stopping us, and it's not even slowing us,' says co-creator Avi Issacharoff. (Yes Studios)

• By EMILY ROSE

Since its Netflix debut in 2016, the Israeli thriller Fauda (or “chaos” in Arabic) has won global audiences for its portrayal of a special operations unit in the IDF’s mista’arvim unit, whose members go undercover in Palestinian society in pursuit of terrorist targets.

Although the show has long taken inspiration from real-life events (including a season three plot mirroring the 2006 abduction of soldier Gilad Schalit into Gaza), the show's co-creator Avi Issacharoff says its latest season – centered around the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in the South and the subsequent war – is its most personal yet. One of the show's crew members was killed while serving in the IDF in Gaza, while another was wounded. For many Israelis, Issacharoff says, October 7 remains “an open wound.”

Speaking at his home in Tel Aviv, Issacharoff discusses his decision to write a season around October 7, the boycotts facing Israeli art and cultural institutions, and the show's unexpected popularity among Arab viewers.

The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Where were you on October 7 and what do you remember from that day?

I mean, you cannot forget a day like that. It's a trauma, a national trauma. It's not a personal one. I was at home, and my daughter woke me up [at] 6:29 a.m. and said, "Abba, there are alarms."

We went to the safe room, and after a while, I open up Al Jazeera – I speak fluent Arabic – and then I saw Muhammad Deif, head of [the] Hamas “military wing,” declare war on Israel and asking Hezbollah, the [Palestinians in the] West Bank, and the Israeli Arabs to join in and to fight against the Zionist entity. It took a few more hours to understand how big the catastrophe [was].

The latest season of 'Fauda,' which centers around the October 7 attack and its aftermath, has seen large viewership in the Arab world. What do you make of its popularity?

Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates – so many different places that love Fauda in the former seasons. The thing that we didn't expect was that this season will succeed because of October 7; we would have expected that fewer people would watch an Israeli show.

What's the explanation? I don't have a good idea. I mean, other than it's a good TV show. It's a good drama, and maybe it's curiosity about the other side. People want to understand better how did Israelis deal with October 7.

Maybe it's the inter-junction between the two that made it popular.

How do you see the season's success juxtaposed to the recent premiere of the Israeli documentary 'NAZA' and rhetoric around it? Have you seen it?

I haven't seen it, so I cannot really answer this. I mean, I don't know what kind of a film this is. I don't know nothing.

Do you think 'Fauda' is playing the role of improving Israel's global image?

We're not part of an effort by the Israeli state. We're not connected to the State of Israel, the government of Israel, [in] any way. Let's be clear about that.

We want to tell a story, a story that was burning in our heart. It was there in the first, second, third, and fourth seasons, but even more after the national trauma that we all suffered. I don't want to be part of the hasbara [Israeli PR] effort. This is not the mission. I guess this is one of the secrets of the success - it's something that really burns in our hearts and not part of an effort to explain. No, we want to show a story.

Some people have criticized the show for playing into stereotypes about Arabs in this season. What do you say to that?

Not in this season because we focus way more on European characters, white Europeans who were recruited by Hamas. So I don't think that we generalize Arabs or Muslims. The opposite. At the beginning of the show, one of the so-called good guys is a Muslim Bedouin [whose] son was killed on October 7. Some Arabs were killed or kidnapped into Gaza during October 7. So I don't think that we generalize Arabs. We show many aspects, many different people.

How does it feel these days to be an Israeli artist in the world, given calls for boycotts against Israeli artists and institutions?

Look, it's sad. It's very sad that [the] Israeli creative community is being [met with] a kind of a cold shoulder. I cannot really complain because my show is very successful. But it's way more complicated today to create something that deals with Israeli content than it used to be four years ago.

And again, the reason that it all started wasn't because Israel was the aggressor, but because Hamas decided to commit genocide in Israel, and not the opposite way around.

But again, Lior Raz, my partner, and I are continuing with our mission of bringing more good content to the world. It's not stopping us, and it's not even slowing us. It's a challenge, but we like challenges, and we're dealing with challenges almost every day. And it's part of the fun because if it's too easy, it's not that fun.

The destruction in Gaza is absent from this season of 'Fauda.' Why make that choice?

We were shooting Fauda while the war was still going on. We were writing the fifth season while the war was still going on. You don't know how will it end. You don't know what's going to be the landscape, the human landscape - how Gaza is going to look like physically. You cannot really gamble on the end result of the war, so we kind of ran away from Gaza. We focus on Europe and then Syria, and then the West Bank instead.

The second aspect is production-wise, can you shoot something that resembles the current Gaza somewhere in Israel? Definitely not, unless you're going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in order to make it.

And yes, what you were hearing us saying is that we wanted to focus on October 7 and the Israeli side and what happened to Israel as a nation, as a society. With the Palestinians, I'm sure that there will be plenty of TV shows and movies that will deal with what happened to them. For example, NAZA. But for me, it was very important to tell our story, my story, the trauma that we suffered.

Did you intend for the season to come out ahead of elections in Israel?

It wasn't intended to come out now. I mean, this is Netflix's decision to air it now, following some kind of an agreement with Yes. What we wanted to do in the show is to make people remember. This is a catastrophe that happened here that changed the face of the Middle East.

And you cannot forget October 7, because people here are trying to make us forget it and focus on other stuff, and especially people outside of Israel that are trying to change history and start with the end result of the catastrophe. (Reuters)

Open questions

PAUSE TO PONDER

• By GREER FAY CASHMAN

The absence of a state commission of inquiry into the failure of Israel's intelligence network to be forewarned and forearmed against the October 7 massacre remains an open wound in large segments of Israeli society. The issue has been raised numerous times by numerous people over the past three years, but has been held at bay by the outgoing government.

For families who witnessed the massacre and lost loved ones, there will be no closure while the issue remains unresolved.

Not all are seeking to cast blame. What they want to know is how it happened so that measures can be taken to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Slogans such as “Never Again” are nothing more than lip service, especially when it comes to October 7. There are no guarantees, especially when there are loose links in the chains of command in the intelligence and defense networks.

Long before October 7, residents of communities close to the Gaza border, said that they could hear noises beneath the ground. It later transpired that these were the tunnels that were planned by Hamas. Had a proper investigation been mounted earlier, October 7 might be nothing more than a date on the calendar.

The same goes for the suspicious actions in Gaza reported by female lookouts in the army and ignored by senior officers.

It is imperative for a country facing an ongoing existential threat to thoroughly investigate every suspicion. Security is something which we cannot take for granted.

Some members of bereaved families have conducted their own investigations, and have come up with red light warning data that would be presented to members of a state commission of inquiry – if there was such a committee.

On October 7, the campaign phone calls by leaders and members of political parties included members of bereaved families who explained that they had joined a particular party because it had promised an investigation, or because it was dedicated to eradicating Hamas from Gaza.

Other bereaved parents, spouses, and siblings interviewed on radio and television had tears in their voices and lumps in their throats when speaking of loved ones who had been murdered or who had fallen in battle. A significant number of the fallen had left pregnant wives whose children will know their fathers only from photographs and from family remembrances. There were such children after 1956, 1967, and 1973. Sadly, there will also be some in 2027.

Surely these children are owed a better future. No matter how much love they receive from their mothers, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, they will always miss the father they never knew – especially so in the case of every only child.

If the government fails to appoint a state commission of inquiry, then the bereaved families and their supporters should do so themselves, just as they have separate commemorative events from that of the official state commemoration. Surely there are legal and intelligence experts in their ranks.

President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal attended both official and unofficial events in different areas of the country. This was partly symbolic as participants in the Nova music festival and soldiers who fell in combat came from all over Israel, so it was a matter of noblesse oblige on the part of the head of state to travel to different parts of the country to honor their memories.

Families and organizations have honored the memories of the murdered and the fallen with the dedication of Torah scrolls, scholarships, funds for trauma therapies, hiking trails, concerts, monuments, and more. So many of the casualties were young people in their teens and early 20s whose hopes and dreams were obliterated. Their families are making sure that their names and faces are remembered.

In special October 7 broadcasts, bereaved family members expressed appreciation for the opportunity to talk about their loved ones. It was of great importance to them to be able to share details of the character, talents, and hobbies of the deceased.

Jews so frequently use the quote from the Mishna that whoever saves a single life is as one who saves a whole world. But every life, whether saved or not, is a world unto itself. Every person has his or her unique quality and bereaved families want those qualities to be known. That is why it is so important to them to be given a broadcast platform.

While much has been said and written about the traumatic effects of the massacre and the war on those personally caught up in one or both, not enough attention is paid to the broadcast journalists who interview them. Listening to dozens of harrowing testimonies and stories every week is also a traumatic experience which is currently overshadowed by professional duty. After the war, we have to give some thought to assessing the traumatic effects on journalists and providing them with the therapies they need.

AN ISRAELI-RUN sports bar and barbecue restaurant is set to open outside Empower Field at Mile High, where the NFL's Denver Broncos play. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Ex-kibbutznik brings Texas-style barbecue to Denver Broncos fans

• By JONATHAN SHIKES

Growing up on a kibbutz, David Haskia had never heard of Central Texas barbecue.

He didn't know Pitmasters use post oak wood to smoke brisket. He didn't know the best way to do that is to feed an offset smoker every 30 minutes for 18 hours to create the richest flavor. And he definitely didn't know he'd be doing all of that professionally in Denver.

But there's no accounting for serendipity.

Sometime in early 2027, Haskia and his wife, Jordan, plan to open Jordy's BBQ just across from the parking lots at Empower Field at Mile High, where the NFL's Denver Broncos play. It will be the permanent home of the food truck they've run there for the past two and a half years.

The sports bar and barbecue restaurant will include two 1,000-gallon smokers turning out brisket, smoked turkey breast, house-made sausage, pulled pork, maple-glazed spare ribs, along with a full menu of sides, and 15-20 beers on tap, wine, and cocktails.

Jordy's BBQ will also have pub fare, like wings and burgers, and it will make full use of the patio and outdoor area.

"I think our food did a very good job representing us, if you will. I think people really like the quality and the attention to detail," Haskia said about his customers on the food truck circuit. "Now we are ready for the next big jump."

Haskia's interest in the singular style of barbecue that comes from Central Texas began by accident about 15 years ago. He was living on a kibbutz when he met a volunteer from Austin who'd come to work in the communal village as part of his Birthright Israel trip.

"I didn't even know what brisket meant back then. We improvised a smoker, and then we cooked one overnight, just having fun, enjoying a summer night ... The end result just wowed me. He opened up a whole new world for me," Haskia said.

Haskia later moved to Los Angeles, where he met Jordan, then to Denver after the two toured the US for eight months, including a long trip to Texas. They opened their food trailer in March 2024, and have been building their customer base ever since.

Haskia believes the key to his success has been his attention to detail. For instance, he keeps a tray of water in his smoker to recreate Texas humidity, and he uses only post oak and pecan wood. He carefully manages not just the coals while cooking, but also the amount of smoke going from the offset portion of the smoker into the main chamber.

"I love every minute of it," he said. "It's a lot of hard work and dedication. But if you do it right, it pays you back in ways you never thought about."

(The Denver Post/TNS)

The vanishing act of China's trade superweapon

A 3D printed container cargo boat, Chinese flag, and LOGINK logo are seen in this illustration. LOGINK's international retreat is a setback for Beijing, which has been engaged in a battle with Washington to control the physical infrastructure and technologies underpinning global shipping, a sector that carries 80% of world trade. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

• By JOE CASH and JOHN GEDDIE

WENZHOU, China/TOKYO (Reuters) – Four years ago, the United States warned that China was poised to unleash a trade superweapon: a state-backed digital dragnet that would rapidly expand across the globe and give Beijing unprecedented insight into the flow of international cargo.

The LOGINK platform promised to streamline global shipping by providing a digital system to exchange logistics data from customs authorities, ports and third-party transport services, replacing paper processes.

Instead, the venture suffered a stunning reversal, reported here for the first time. Its flagship global partnerships have stalled, it dropped out of an international maritime association, and it has become mired in domestic lawsuits over unpaid bills, according to interviews with more than 20 shipping industry insiders and officials, as well as a Reuters review of legal filings.

When a reporter visited LOGINK's operations hub in the coastal city of Wenzhou in September, the offices appeared abandoned: lights off, reception bare, computer cabling stripped out.

Calls and emails to LOGINK went unanswered. China's Transport Ministry declined to answer questions. The ministry in June, however, issued a policy document calling for the system to be connected to more domestic data streams.

LOGINK's international retreat is a setback for Beijing, which has been engaged in a battle with Washington to control the physical infrastructure and technologies underpinning global shipping, a sector that carries 80% of world trade. The platform's decline will be welcomed by the US, which contributed to LOGINK's reversal in fortunes by "naming and shaming" those who used the system, said Randall Schriver, chair of a US Congress commission that issued a report on LOGINK in 2022.

Reuters could not establish why the platform championed by China's cabinet as a "key project" abruptly went dark and spiraled into financial and legal troubles. The timing of its retreat, however, coincided with US efforts to pressure allies and organizations that had made tentative steps to collaborate with LOGINK as it pushed for global expansion.

US officials and security experts worried that Beijing could use the system to gather non-public information on traded goods, volumes and pricing to help Chinese firms undercut Western rivals. Some also feared that LOGINK could be used to track sensitive military shipments, including US arms deliveries to Ukraine and Taiwan, many of which move through commercial freight networks.

LOGINK has not publicly disclosed the exact nature and scale of the data it collected. In a submission to the US Trade Representative's Office in 2024, LOGINK official Li Zhao said that it lacked “the capacity to collect sensitive commercial information or to continuously monitor global cargo movements.”

A US State Department spokesperson did not provide specifics when asked about its diplomatic efforts to curb global use of LOGINK, but said that Washington would not allow a platform controlled by Beijing to “gain a chokehold over global maritime data.”

"We have prohibited its use across our own government and critical port infrastructure, and we urge allies and industry to take this threat with the same seriousness," the spokesperson added.

---

From trade solution to hazard?

LOGINK is formally known as the National Transportation and Logistics Public Information Platform. It started two decades ago as a local government project in China's Zhejiang province to improve coordination of cargo movements by bringing data from ports, trucks and vendors into a single searchable platform.

The platform won the backing of policymakers in Beijing, who soon after transferred control of LOGINK to China's Transport Ministry. International expansion quickly became a priority.

In 2010, China struck a cargo data-sharing deal with the Japanese and South Korean governments that linked LOGINK to their national logistics information platforms.

A few years later, LOGINK signed an agreement with a Hong Kong-based logistics platform that the Chinese entity said in a press release would give it access to “more than 90% of global ship tracking data.”

LOGINK will be a “one-stop portal connected with global logistics information systems,” according to a 2015 Chinese transport ministry presentation to a United Nations commission which was posted online.

By the late 2010s, LOGINK was also exploring ways to collaborate with European ports. But in 2022, US policymakers started publicly pushing back on the Chinese platform.

A turning point came that April, when LOGINK signed up to an international data-sharing project linking operators of digital platforms that facilitate the exchange of cargo and customs information at ports.

LOGINK's participation in that project would double its cooperation with international ports, according to the US commission's report.

A few months later, a group of Republican lawmakers urged then-US president Joe Biden in an open letter to act against LOGINK. Among them was Marco Rubio, now Trump's secretary of state.

Unchecked expansion of LOGINK could allow the Chinese Communist Party “to gain a stranglehold on the arteries of global trade,” they said.

One of the lawmakers, then-representative Michelle Steel, in late 2023 also asked the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA), which spearheaded the data-sharing project, to immediately cut its ties with LOGINK.

Congress at around that time additionally passed a law prohibiting the Pentagon from entering into contracts with LOGINK-connected entities. The law also directed officials to dissuade allies and partners from using the platform.

Officials in Seoul and Tokyo who collaborated with LOGINK, however, told Reuters that the scope of data-sharing was more limited than some in Washington feared.

South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Japan's transport ministry said that only vessel arrival and departure times and information on cargo loading and unloading were made available, not details on cargo contents.

---

Going dark

Then, LOGINK beat a retreat.

The platform's participation in IPCSA ended in 2024 after it stopped paying its membership dues, according to a person familiar with the matter.

LOGINK's website went dark around that time. The latest available scrape on the Wayback Machine archive dates to June 2024.

IPCSA General Manager Inga Morton confirmed that LOGINK was no longer a member and said that the international data-sharing project was "on hold and inactive".

Meanwhile, China's service with South Korea and Japan that was LOGINK's flagship international initiative has also faltered. Participants from the three countries have held regular meetings since the service's launch, but China abruptly canceled an event scheduled for March 2024, citing "internal circumstances," according to South Korea's oceans ministry. No meetings have been held since.

Tokyo's access to LOGINK data via that service later stopped without notice, a transport ministry official said. The official told Reuters in August that Japan had lost access more than a year earlier and that Tokyo had been unable to contact Chinese counterparts.

The Chinese venture also had little to show for its efforts to expand into Europe.

Ana Rita Rosa, a spokesperson for the authority governing Sines, Portugal's largest port, told Reuters that a memorandum of understanding it had signed with LOGINK in 2017 to explore data-sharing led to no significant outcomes.

And Portbase, the digital system that underpins Europe's largest port of Rotterdam, said that a 2019 MOU with LOGINK did not progress beyond exploratory discussions. A person familiar with the matter said Dutch government queries about the relationship in early 2022 contributed to Portbase's decision not to pursue any collaboration with the Chinese platform.

Rosa and Portbase declined to comment when asked if US diplomatic pressure had any impact on their decisions not to pursue collaboration with LOGINK.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry also declined to comment.

---

Legal woes and empty offices

Back in China, LOGINK has faced legal claims.

The commercial entity behind the platform's Wenzhou hub has since January 2024 faced at least 39 court claims that total some \$1.3 million, according to filings on Qichacha, a corporate data provider. Some of the complaints were listed as labor disputes, while others appeared to involve unpaid utilities.

Among the claimants is a local subsidiary of China Mobile, which sued LOGINK in October 2025 over a “contract dispute over service provision.” A court subsequently ordered LOGINK to pay the telco, but the filings do not show if that occurred.

LOGINK also appears to be facing eviction. A judge in May presided over a “property lease dispute” brought against the company by the state-backed developer running the industrial park where LOGINK is based, the records show.

China Mobile and the developer did not respond to requests for comment.

When Reuters visited the Wenzhou building, by a river on the outskirts of the city, there was no sign of activity.

Emblazoned on the wall next to desks and chairs gathering dust, however, was a large Communist Party slogan heralding China's plans to "leverage global supply chains" by 2035.

A 194-year-old tortoise, world's oldest land animal, may hold clues to longer life

A TORTOISE named Jonathan, believed to be the world's oldest known living land animal, stands in front of Plantation House, St. Paul, on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena, in 2013. (Joe Hollins/Handout via Reuters)

• By MARTA SERAFINKO

The world's oldest-known terrestrial animal, an Aldabra giant tortoise named Jonathan and estimated to be about 194 years old, may owe his extraordinary longevity to a combination of genetic traits and an ability to keep key cellular systems functioning in a more youthful way, according to scientists.

Members of this species are known to live more than 100 years, but Jonathan has far exceeded that. Brought to the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena as a fully grown animal in 1882, likely from the Aldabra Atoll or the Granitic Seychelles, the tortoise now resides in a paddock at Plantation House, the governor's residence.

“Other Aldabra tortoises have been claimed to have lived as long as Jonathan, but he has the most documentary evidence supporting his age,” said Benjamin Vaisvil, a researcher affiliated with the organization Kallel and co-lead author of the study published on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

Scientists have studied Jonathan to explore the secrets of the animal's amazing longevity, sequencing his genome and analyzing his epigenome – the chemical markers that control which genes switch on and off.

"We found changes in Jonathan's genome in pathways associated with longevity, like DNA repair, mitochondrial function, insulin regulation and telomere function," Vaisvil said.

Mitochondria are structures considered the powerhouse of a cell. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate levels of blood sugar by letting it enter the body's cells for energy. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, structures that carry genetic information inside cell nuclei.

Researchers compared Jonathan's epigenome with four other Aldabra tortoises, ranging from juveniles to older adults. While pretending to feed Jonathan, they waited until he began biting the air, then wedged his mouth open with a gloved hand and scraped under his tongue with a specialized kit. St. Helena officials restrict blood draws to prevent infection risks.

To explain the finding, Vaisvil compared the genome to a cookbook and the epigenome to handwritten notes in the margins.

"As the cookbook ages, those notes become more difficult to read clearly. We can think of that as methylation entropy," Vaisvil said, referring to a metric for disorder in a certain biochemical process.

Most of the notes in Jonathan's "cookbook" look very old. But in certain regions, stretches of DNA that act as switches controlling whether genes are turned on or off, Jonathan's methylation entropy was lower than that of every tortoise studied except a five-year-old juvenile. These regions controlled genes that influence longevity.

The researchers identified 287 genes with variants unique to Jonathan, including some linked to tumor suppression and DNA repair. The tortoise also carries extra copies of a gene that encodes a protein that hunts down aging and cancerous cells.

---

'Gentle giant'

When younger, Jonathan was known for mischievous antics including overturning chairs and lying on croquet balls, according to the tortoise's longtime veterinarian and study co-author Joe Hollins. Cataracts have since left him mostly blind. Hollins describes Jonathan today as "a gentle giant."

Determining how long giant tortoises can live is challenging because reliable historical records are scarce and many outlive researchers. Record-keeping before the 20th century also was problematic. While a young tortoise's age can be estimated from growth rings on the plates that form the animal's shell, ascertaining the age of adults is more difficult.

The new study involved only one exceptionally old tortoise, making it hard to determine whether the traits identified are unique to Jonathan or common among long-lived tortoises.

"We cannot say for certain that what we found is the reason for his longevity," Vaisvil said.

Environmental factors also may have contributed. Jonathan lives on a tropical island, with an optimal diet carefully managed by trained veterinarians.

The research findings broadly match patterns documented in studies of exceptionally long-lived people, suggesting that some mechanisms of aging may be shared across species.

Vaisvil noted that a recent study of a 117-year-old woman found unusually efficient mitochondrial function, echoing findings in some of Jonathan's regions.

---

Voracious appetite

Despite his age, Jonathan retains a voracious appetite, Hollins said, lifting his head and stretching out his long neck when the veterinarian calls out his name.

"I know he knows me, knows my voice and my handling, and I also know it isn't love on his part but a recognition of the arrival of a feast," Hollins said. "And yet I, of course, don't mind. I have a huge affection for him."

"He is a remarkable symbol. Icon, I know, is an overused word, but Guinness World Records has just given him 'icon' status this year," Hollins said.

Beloved by island residents, Jonathan has lived through world wars and the rise and fall of empires.

"He is symbolic of resilience, longevity, endurance, a persistent presence throughout huge historic events," Hollins said. (Reuters)

Weather

A FULL PAGE OF EXERCISE FOR THE BRAIN EVERY SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY

---

ACROSS

1 “\_\_ Supreme”

6 Hebrew name that means

“who is like God”

11 Folks who are often

recognized

12 One who is recognized

14 Like many John Cage

compositions

15 Piece of crude machinery

16 Less ridiculous

17 Drambuie cocktail

18 Whole lot

19 Caresses

20 Plum kin

21 Pretend

22 Spanish dairy animal

23 Journalist Cabrera

25 Smart, in a way

31 Ankylosaurus, for one

32 “That’s not so outrageous”

33 “Au revoir, \_\_ amis”

34 Farm unit that

may be round or square

35 Sigur \_:

ethereal Icelandic band

36 Zoë of “The Afterparty”

39 Need for some

pan sauces

40 Grand piano trio

41 Starts to look really cold

---

CROSSWORDS

44 Hasbro toy that tests reaction speed

45 Looping

46 Traditional Chinese dumplings

47 Giving nightmares, maybe

48 Spotless?

49 "Be more here" hotel chain

50 Licks

DOWN

1 Hybrid genre

2 Chance to recharge one's social battery

3 Commit to another year, say

4 Lift option

5 Couture initials

6 Drop down?

7 Fedora-sporting hero, familiarly

8 Mix with kernels

9 No-frills type

10 Trope starter

11 Plants used to make tapioca

12 Sibilant warning

13 Vogue rival

15 Not home

17 Deal with bugs, say

19 Some harness horses

22 Frost bit?

29 Shares passing thoughts?

30 Ascot alternative

36 Some A.I. execs

37 Suspicion

38 Assortment

39 Icon in a World

23 "Frog and Toad" series writer Lobel

24 "... said \_\_ ever"

26 Modern dating phrase

27 Herbal infusion

28 Solution pages?

Cup score

40 Doesn't work

42 One taking turns cooking?

43 Kinked

44 \_ one's time

46 Vaccination, to a Brit

---

SOLUTIONS

6194

How many words of three or more letters, including plurals, can you make from the five letters, using each letter only once? No foreign words or words beginning with a capital are allowed. There's at least one five-letter word.

TODAY'S GOALS:

Good - 13 Excellent - 17 Amazing - 21

SOLUTION 6233: ahs, ash, ashy, ats, ays, has, hast, hasty, hat, hats, hay, hays, sat, say, shy, stay, sty, thy, yah.

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QUICK CRYPTIC

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Across

1 Put into service, make use of (7)

5 It was chic for ancient Greeks (5)

8 What the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in (5)

9 Leech, e.g. (REEL BED anagram) (7)

10 Pieces of ancient ceramic often found at a tel (7,6)

12 At the original place (6)

14 Dating material to determine age of objects (6)

18 One of a 1947 Qumran find (4,3,6)

22 Fresh fruit and veggies (7)

23 Multiheaded monster (5)

24 A \_ of ancient coins (what an archaeologist may hope to find) (5) 25 JRR \_ (Hobbit creator) (7)

Down

1 Open, as a brewski (5)

2 Asks to a simcha (7)

3 Go over with a fine-tooth comb (SPIN, ETC. anagram) (7)

4 Human's early life stage (MY ROBE anagram) (6)

5 Babies cut them (5)

6 Time of greatest depression (5)

7 Rabid anti-Israel podcaster Tucker \_\_\_\_ (7)

11 Natural listening device (3)

12 Comprehensive (THEN DIP anagram) (2-5)

13 Hoosier State (Abbr.) (3)

15 Breathalyzer find (7)

16 Dagwood's lady (7)

17 Legal notice, warning (6)

19 Israeli restaurant chain (5)

20 The \_\_\_\_ (Ilhan Omar, AOC, Rashida Tlaib, etc.) (5)

21 Wise up (5)

Insert the missing letters to complete ten words - five across the grid and five down.

© THE PUZZLE COMPANY

PREVIOUS SOLUTION (other combinations may be possible)

Reference: Concise Oxford 10th Edition

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SUDOKU

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VERY EASY | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 8 | ---

EASY | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | ---

MEDIUM | 1 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 | ---

HARD | 1 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 9 | ---

WEDNESDAY'S HIDATO SOLUTION | 20 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 125 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 3 | 33 | 38 | 36 | 124 | 126 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 39 | 37 | 123 | 127 | 16 | 135 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 42 | 59 | 122 | 128 | 134 | 133 | 136 | 137 | 138 | 7 | 140 | 43 | 58 | 60 | 121 | 119 | 129 | 130 | 132 | | 139 | 46 | 44 | 61 | 57 | 120 | 115 | 118 | 131 | 93 | 48 | 47 | 45 | 56 | 62 | 114 | 116 | 117 | 94 | 95 | 92 | 91 | 49 | 53 | 55 | 64 | 63 | 113 | 111 | 110 | 96 | 97 | 89 | 90 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 67 | 65 | 112 | 109 | 105 | 98 | 88 | 82 | 81 | 51 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 66 | 108 | 106 | 104 | 99 | 87 | 86 | 83 | 80 | 77 | 74 | 72 | 69 | 107 | 103 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 84 | 85 | 79 | 78 | 73 | 71 | 70 | # TELEVISION

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PROGRAMS

06:04 This Morning - with Arieh Golan

08:00 Kalman Liberman

10:00 Kubanovick

12:00 News Flash

12:50 Dreams of Freedom - Episode 49

Olive On 5 - Shira Nao

14:30 Come Dine with Me 9

• South Week 5

15:00 Glick and Tamar

17:00 The World Today - with Michal Reshef and

17:55 Kan at Six - with

Maya Rachlin

19:00 Kan News + with Sharon Davidovitch

19:15 The Hive

19:50 Kan News Edition

21:30 Checkout! 6 - Episode 4

23:47 1-on-1 with Roni Kuban 9 - Assaf Rappapo

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06:00 News Flash

06:10 The Morning Head-lines

07:08 The Morning News - With Niv Raskin 09:30 News Flash

09:35 Morning News - With Nesli and Yoav

11:20 The 12th Floor With

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19:50 Main Edition

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23:30 Avri and Sherki

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RESHET HD (Y/H13)

06:00 This Morning - Preview

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09:30 News Flash

10:04 Starting the Day - Yarden and Elad 11:00 News Flash

11:05 Starting the Day - Yarden and Elad 13:00 News Flash

12:50 The Promised Land - The Local Reality

13:00 News Flash

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13:05 The Promised Land -

The Local Reality

14:00 The Daily Report

15:00 Today's News

16:55 Today's Talk - With Lucy Aharish

17:55 Moriya & Berko

18:59 Election Zone - Raviv

Druker

19:50 The Main News Edition

21:15 The Promised Land - Episode 4

23:00 The Tube - Guy Lerer

23:30 The Past Day - With Tal Shorer

00:00 News Flash

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HOT CHANNEL 3 (H3)

08:30 House M.D. 2

09:14 Hacks 5

09:53 Schitt's Creek 3

10:17 Parenthood 2

11:01 Vanished

11:46 Good Girls

12:30 Hacks 5

13:33 House M.D. 2

14:17 Little House on the Prairie 4

15:06 Days of Our Lives

15:49 The Young and the Restless, Yr. 47

17:16 Days of Our Lives

17:58 The Young and the Restless, Yr. 47

18:38 Little House on the Prairie 4

20:59 Can You Keep a Secret?

23:02 Two Weeks in August

23:49 Parenthood 2

00:32 House M.D. 2

HOT ISRAELI

ENTERTAINMENT

06:00 Renewal of Broadcasts at 08:00

08:00 My Sister Jackie

08:28 The Game of Life

09:14 Touching Happiness

09:58 Connected 12

10:24 Small Talk

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12:37 Touching Happiness

13:20 Connected 12

13:47 My Sister Jackie

14:15 Pot El the Virgin

16:42 Connected 12

17:09 The Game of Life

17:54 Touching Happiness

18:41 My Sister Jackie

19:06 Nasrin the Legend

19:38 Connected 12

20:00 The Game of Life

20:47 Touching Happiness

21:30 Bat El the Virgin

21:56 Nasrin the Legend

22:27 Connected 12

22:50 The Game of Life

23:37 Touching Happiness

00:21 Small Talk

20:48 My Sister Jackie

01:41 Bat El the Virgin

02:06 Koka Ltd., Season 2

02:33 Nasrin the Legend

03:06 My Sister Jackie

03:31 Docuceleb Classics

04:00 Renewal of Broadcasts at 08:00

07:18 Law & Order 25

08:00 Law & Order: SVU 27

08:42 Boston Blue

09:34 NCIS+ Origins

21:20 Law & Order: SVU 27

22:02 NCIS: Origins

22:45 NCIS: New York

23:27 Law & Order 25

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YES TV DRAMA

07:00 Whitstable Pearl

07:51 Menagen Veshar

08:35 Sullivan's Crossing 3

10:12 Malkat Hayofi Shel Jerusalem

10:39 Whitstable Pearl

11:30 Mint

12:31 Invay

13:16 Menagen Veshar

14:00 Malkat Hayofi Shel

Jerusalam

15:15 Whitstable Pearl

16:06 Sullivan"s Crossing 3

16:55 Suits 8

17:43 Menagen Veshar

18:27 Sullivan's Crossing 3

19:14 Mint

21:00 The Way Home 4

21:43 Adults

22:29 The Hunting Wives

23:19 Serpent Queen 2

00:25 The Death Of Bunny Munro

01:32 Wnd Cherry

02:26 A Very Royal Scandal

YES TV ACTION

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YES TV ACTION

08:35 Fbi: International 2

07:38 Fbi: International 2

08:23 Meila

09:08 F.B.I. 8

09:53 F.B.I. 8

10:38 Revival

11:23 The Machinery

12:13 Ncis 23

12:58 Fbi: International 2

13:43 Fbi: International 2

14:28 F.B.I. 8

15:13 F.B.I. 8

15:58 Revival

16:43 The Machinery

17:33 Ncis 23

18:18 Fbi: International 2

19:03 Fbi: International 2

19:48 Meila

20:30 F.B.I. 8

21:15 F.B.I. 8

22:00 Bergerac 2

22:50 Ark 3, The

23:35 Blue Lights 3

00:20 Hamedovev

01:05 Spartacus: House Of

06:45 Baby Daddy 3

07:10 Baby Daddy 3

07:35 Ghosts Uk 2

18:56 Hot In Cleveland 3

19:21 Hot In Cleveland 3

19:46 That 70"s Show 6

20:11 That 70"s Show 7

20:36 Married With Chil

01:27 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia 18

01:52 Breaking Bear

MIDDLE EAST TV (Y109/H150)

13:00 It's Supernatural

13:30 Supernatural Stories

14:00 School Of Ministry

15:00 No, No, Nanette

13:00 No, No, Nanette

16:30 Pour it Out with Ben & Jodie Hughes

17:00 Show Me Your Glory

17:30 Life More Abundantly

18:00 The Way of Life

18:30 It"s Supernatural

19:00 Night Visions with Charles Fox

19:30 David Jeremiah

20:00 Las Vegas @ New England

23:00 Denver @ L.A. Chargers

00:00 ILTV Weekly Review

00:30 No, No, Nanette

07:15 The Unbelievable With Dan Aykroyd 3 - Ep 07:57 American Godfathers:

The Five Families - 09:21 The Proof is Out There 5 - Ep. 1

10:02 Alone 12 - Ep. 8

10:45 Mysteries from Above

• Ep. 9

11:30 The UnXplained with William Shatner 5 -

12:12 History"s Most Shocking - Ep. 2

12:52 The Unbelievable With Dan Aykroyd 3 - Ep 13:34 American Godfathers: The Five Families -

14:58 The Proof is Out There 5 - Ep. 1

17:07 The UnXplained with William Shatner 5 -

19:10 American Godfathers: The Five Families -

20:34 The Proof is Out There 5 - Ep. 2

21:13 Alone 12 - Ep. 9

21:58 Mysteries from Above

• Ep. 10

22:43 The UnXplained with William Shatner 5 -

23:24 History"s Most Shocking - Ep. 3

01:06 Mysteries from Above - Ep. 7

02:36 Mysteries from Above - Ep. 9

03:20 Clip Time - Ep. 21

03:49 Clip Time - Ep. 22

04:19 Clip Time

04:51 Clip Time - Ep. 24

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CLASSICA HD

06:30 Classica Spotlight

07:00 Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Rattle)

08:12 Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 (2021)

08:32 Choral Music by Bach, Schutz et al.

Polonaise for Two Pianos 09:58 Teatro Regio: Behind the Scenes

10:28 Liszt: Due Poemi Sinfonici

11:03 Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (Rattle)

13:43 Documentary: Clara Haskil

14:38 Mozart: Symphony

No.34, KV.338 (Fischer)

15:00 Bach: Partitas for

Solo Violin

16:15 Mahler: Songs on the Death of Children

16:45 Bach: Brandenburg Concertos (2021)

18:23 Fantasymphony: Fire and Magic

19:57 Playing Portraits

20:53 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique. Op. 14

22:01 Holst: The Planets (Alphen)

22:54 In Rehearsal

23:49 A Tribute to Vienna

01:00 Donizetti: L"elisir d'amore (Frizza)

03:24 Veerhavenconcert 2016

04:30 In the Artist's Workshop

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YES DOCU (Y8)

08:20 The Hand Arja lost all four limbs to blood poisoning in 2017. Seven years

later, her life changed again when she became Finland's first recipient of a hand

09:15 Where Is Baby Gabriel? Ep.1 Gabriel Johnson has been missing since 2009. Seven months old at the time, his disappearance

shook the nation. Was baby Gabriel really murdered, or was he given up for adoption? Dir. Thomas Leader. 2023

10:05 Where Is Baby Gabriel? Ep.2 Gabriel Johnson has been missing since 2009. Seven months old at the time, his disappearance

shook the nation. was baby Gabriel really murdered, or was he given up for adoption? Dir. Thomas Leader. 2023

10:55 Where Is Baby Gabriel? Ep.3 Gabriel Johnson has been missing since 2009. Seven months old at the time, his disappearance

shook the nation. Was baby Gabriel really murdered, or was he given up for adoption? Dir. Thomas Leader. 2023

11:45 Good Morning Gaza Reservist Or Brandes turns the military radio into a podcast, where soldiers openly discuss fear, denial

amid the fighting after October 7. Dir.: Hanan Brandes, Matan Skopsky. Israel. 2026 12:40 The Crash Reel In

2009 half-pipe legend Kevin Pearce crashes on a Park City half-pipe, barely surviving. Now all Kevin wants is to

Now an Kevin wants to get on his snowboard again, even though medics and family fear this could kill him. Dir. L.Walker. 2013.

14:30 The Hand Arja lost all four limbs to blood poisoning in 2017. Seven years later, her life changed again when she became Finland's first recipient of a hand transplant. Dir. Kati Laukkanen. Finland, 2025

15:25 Wham! Ten Days in China The story of British pop duo Wham!'s historic 1985 visit to China - a

10-day trip that made them the first Western pop act to perform in communist China and paved thr road to global superstardom. Dir.: Mike Christie.2026

16:55 The Americas - 1 An 11-episode docu-series exploring the wonders, mysteries, and fragilities of the with the narration of Tom Hanks and a score by Hans Zimmer. 2025.

17:40 Democracy Noir As Viktor Orban dismantles Hungary's democratic institutions, three women - a journalist, a politician, and a

19:10 Confessions of Octomom Ep.1 This six-part documentary series follows

Natalie Suleman as she provides an intimate look at her history and her life today as a mom of 14, and her newest role as a grandmother. Dir. Luke Campbell. 2025

19:55 Jiro Dreams Of Sushi A documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his business in the basement

of a Tokyo office building, and his relationship with his son and heir, Yoshikazu.

Ono. Dir. David Gelb. 2011.

21:15 Harrods: The Rise and Fall "Harrods: The Rise and Fall Of A British Institution".

its rise as the world's most iconic department store to scandals and the loss of its luxury legacy. Dir. Maya Amin-Smith. 2025

22:00 Dirty Dancing: The Phenomenon Over 30 years after "Dirty Dancing" became a cult classic, this documentary explores how

beyond romance and dance into a global cultural phenomenon. 2025

22:55 TLC Forever The top-selling American female group of all time, who broke boundaries, influenced an entire generation and sur

entire generation and survived against all odds, T-Boz and Chilli tell their story for the first time. Dir. Matt Kay. 2023

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MOVIES

06:00 Captain Phillips The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the ing by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama. With: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi (2013)

08:13 A Civil Action Thriller. A lawyer, who represents a group of families, leads

the struggle against giant companies that polluted drinking water. Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall. Dir.: Steven Zaillian (USA, 1998).

In successful Jurassic World, everything goes according to plan until a giant genetically engineered dinosaur starts killing. With Chris Pratt (2015)

12:12 Everest Drama. True story of eight climbers who try to climb Mount Everest and encounter an avalanche. With Jake Gyllenhaal (2015)

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on risking a defeat. Cast: Gary Oldman, Lily James. Dir.: Joe Wright (USA, 2017).

16:17 The Son of No One Thriller. A young New York cop assigned to the neighborhood he grew up in worries about the safety of his family and his career. With Channing Tatum, Al Pacino (2011)

17:51 Madame Web Action. Cassandra Webb, a paramedic that may have clairvoyant abilities, forms a relationship with three young

women destined for powerful futures. Cast: Dakota Johnson. Dir.: S.J. Clarkson (USA 2024)

19:47 Only The Brave Drama. The true story of the brave firemen who protected the citizens of a town in Arizona during one the US's biggest fires. Cast: Josh B. R. King, Jeff R. Dick, D. King

Brom, Jeff Bridges. Dn.. Joseph Kosinski (USA, 2017). 22:00 The Wrecking Crew Action. Estranged half brothers, a volatile suspended

SEAL--Tetectantly Reunite after their father is murdered. Cast: Dave Bautista. Dir.: Angel Manuel Soto (USA, 2026).

00:00 John Rambo In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war torn Burma

venture into war-torn Burma and rescue a group of Christian aid workers. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz (2008)

01:30 The Northman Action. A young Viking prince is on a quest to avenge his father's murder. Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman. Dir.: Robert Eggers (USA, 2022).

06:25 Death and Life of Bobby Z Crime Thriller. A former Marine impersonates a recently deceased drug dealer in an attempt to get out of his prison sentence. Cast: Paul Walker, Laurence Fishburne. Dir.: John Herzfeld (USA, 2007).

08:00 Jason Bourne Thriller. A CIA agent comes out of hiding and risks his life to expose a complex affair that also involves his father. With Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander (2016)

10:02 47 Meters Down: Uncaged Horror. Two sisters diving in a ruined underwater city quickly learn they've entered the territory of a

Sophie Nelisse, Corinne Foxx. Dir.: Johannes Roberts (UK, 2019).

of investigative reporters

work alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress. Cast: Russell

Crowe, Ben Arneck (2009) 13:35 Close A female body-guard is hired to protect an heiress on the run from assassins. Cast: Noomi Papers, Sophie Nalise, Dir

a new team of mercenaries and heads to Somalia to fight a vicious arms dealer. With Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger. (2014)

17:14 Wrecked Thriller. A man wakes up injured in a wrecked car in the woods, not remembering who he is. Soon he finds clues about

his identity. Cast: Adrien Brody. Dir.: Michael Greenspan (USA, 2011).

18:43 Dust Bunny Horror. After losing her foster parents to a bedroom-dwelling beast, Aurora hires her neighbor, a professional

assassin, to hunt it. Cast: Sophie Sloan, Mads Mikkelsen. Dir.: Bryan Fuller (USA, 2025).

20:29 Into the Deep Thriller. A woman desperate for an escape, meets a mysterious stranger who promises a romantic trip. What follows ous stranger who promises a romantic trip. What follows is deceit, mistrust, and violence. Cast: Ella-Rae Smith. Dir.: Kate Cox (USA, 2022).

Din.: Kate Cox (USA, 2022). 22:00 The Equalizer 2 Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed.

exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves? Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz. Dir.: Antoine Faqua (USA, 2018).

23:59 Out Come the Wolves Thriller. A weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a week of wolves attacks three

pack of wolves attacks three friends. Cast: Missy Peregrym, Joris Jarsky. Dir.: Adam MacDonald (Canada, 2024).

01:26 Righteous Kill Two New York detectives try to find the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they thought they had solved years.

they had solved years before. With Robert De Niro, Al Pacino (2008)

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HOT CINEMA 3 (H18)

06:23 Instant Family Comedy. A couple find themselves in over their heads when they foster three children. Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne. Dir.: Sean Anders (USA, 2018).

08:21 Marley & Me A family learns important life lessons from their adorable but naughty and neurotic dog. With Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson (2008).

10:16 The Hustle Comedy. Two con women - one low rent and the other high class - team up to take down the men who have wronged them. Cast: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson. Dir.: Chris Addison (USA, 2019).

11:50 Dan in Real Life A widower discovers that the woman he has fallen in love with is his brother's girlfriend. With Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche (2007).

ning Tatumi) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois) race down the Pacific Coast, in a road trip of a lifetime, to get to a fellow soldier's funeral on time. Dir.: Reid Carolin (USA, 2022).

15:10 Kate & Leopold Romantic comedy. A duke from the 19th century is transported to modern-day New York and falls in love with a typical person.

with a cynical career woman. With Hugh Jackman, Meg Ryan (2001)

17:08 Merv When their beloved dog Merv loses his spark after their split, Anna and Russ are forced into the world's most awkward

Co-parenting arrangement.

Cast: Zooey Deschanel. Dir.: Jessica Swale (USA, 2025).

18:54 Liar, Liar Comedy. A fast-track lawyer isn't

allowed to lie for 24 hours due to his son's birthday wish. Cast: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney. Dir.: Tom Shadvac (USA, 1997).

20:21 I'll Be Right There Comedy. Wanda wants to take care of everyone in her life. She barely has time for herself, not that she would know what to do with it anyway. Cast: Edie Falco. Dir.: Brendan Walsh (USA, 2023).

22:00 August Osage County Drama. The strong-willed women of the Weston family come together after a family crisis. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Moryl Stroop, Julia Roberts

Dir: John Wells. (USA, 2013). 23:58 Sleeping with Other People A good-natured womanizer and a serial

tionship that helps reform them in ways, while a mutual attraction sets in. With Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie (2015)

01:38 Bridesmaids Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid over who is the bride's best

pastry cher. With. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy (2011)

08:31 American Pastoral A college star and his beauty queen wife watch their seemingly perfect life fall.

seemingly perfect life fall apart, as their daughter joins the turmoil of 1960s America. With Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly (2016)

10:19 Official Secrets The true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA program.

an irregular NSA spy operation. Cast: Keira Knightley.

Dir.: Gavin Hood (UK, 2019).

12:15 Milk Drama. The

12.15 Milk Drama: The story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first open-

ly gay official. Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch. Dir.: Gus Van Sant (USA 2008)

14:23 Bonjour Tristesse Drama. Cecile's relaxing summer with her father in the south of France is

upended by the arrival of the enigmatic Anne. Cast: Lily McInerny, Chloe Sevigny. Dir.: Durga Chew-Bose (UK, 2024).

16:14 Memory Drama. Sylvia and Saul's surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past. Cast: Jessica Chastain. Dir.: Michel Franco (Mexico, 2023).

17:57 Bolero Drama. In 1928 Paris, choreographer Ida Rubinstein commissions Maurice Ravel to compose

the music for her next ballet. Cast: Raphael Personnaz. Dir.: Anne Fontaine (France, 2024).

19:57 The Apprentice Drama. The rise of Donald Trump in the real-estate business in 1970s and '80s New

York with the help of millions lawyer Roy M. Cohn. Cast: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong. Dir.: Ali Abbasi (Canada, 2024)

22:00 Sidelined: The QB and Me Drama. A dancer and a quarterback fight against their feelings for

future threatens to keep them apart. Cast: Siena Agudong, Noah Beck. Dir.: Justin Wu (USA, 2024).

23:38 Serenity Drama. A fishing boat captain juggles facing his mysterious past. Cast: Matthew McCo-naughey, Anne Hathaway. Dir: Steven Knight (USA)

Casti Matthew MeCo

naughey, Anne Hathaway.

Dir.: Steven Knight (USA,

2018).

01:22 The Survivor Harry Haft is a boxer who fought against his peers in concentration camps. After WWII, he tries to use fighting leg

love. Cast: Ben Foster.

Dir.: Barry Levinson (Canada, 2021).

YES MOVIES DRAMA (1)

09:16 Step Up China Two

39.16 Step Up China Two young people from different worlds put their differences aside and come together to form a dance group and win a championship in China a championship in China.

With: Jade Chynoweth, Sean Lew. Director: Ron Yuan.

China-Usa, 2019.

10:48 Sing Sing Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a

prison theatre group. With: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin. Director: Greg Kwedar. USA, 2023.

12:35 Reagan A drama based on the life of president Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office. With: Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller. Director:

strives one last time to be a

wrestler despite having cere-

bral palsy, and goes to

extreme lengths, crushing

extreme lengths, crushing obstacles and inspiring others along his journey to prove his abilities. 2021.

16:38 The Dark Crystal

1000 years ago the Dark Crystal was damaged, and an age of chaos began. Now, if the crystal is not healed the control of the

nealed the control of the evil Skekses will last forever... Directors and puppeteers: Jim Henson, Frank Oz. 1982.

18:13 The Peanut Butter Falcon Adventure. Zak runs away from his care home to make his dream of becoming a wrestler come true. With:

Gottsagen, Dakota Johnson.

USA, 2019.

19:51 A Hologram For The King A failed American sales rep looks to recoup his losses by traveling to Saudi Arabia and selling his company's

Elba, Sarita Choudhury.

Director: Tom Tykwer. 2016.

21:30 Submergence A chance encounter on a beach in France leads to an beach in France leads to an intense romance between two strangers who are on very different paths and bound for trying circumstances. With: Alicia Vikander, Celyn Jones. Dir. Wim Wenders. 2017.

23:22 Unfaithful The life of a married woman deteriorates after she starts an affair with a mysterious man. With Richard Gere, Diane Lane (2002)

08:54 Role Play Emma has a wonderful husband and two kids in the suburbs of New Jersey. She also has a secret life as an assassin for hire.

With: Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo. Director: Thomas Vincent. USA, 2024.

10:36 G20 Terrorists take over the G20 summit with President Sutton, bringing her governing and military

Anthony Anderson. Director: Patricia Riggen, 2025.

12:25 Madame Web A New York paramedic begins to demonstrate signs of clair-voyance. Forced to chal voyance. Forced to challenge revelations about her past, she needs to safeguard three young women from a deadly adversary. With:

three young women from a deadly adversary. With: Dakota Johnson. Dir. S.J. Clarkson 2024.

14:22 Only the Brave Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots,

tect a town from a historic wildfire. Cast: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller. Dir. Joseph Kosinski. USA, 2017.

16:36 Oblivion A solitary drone repairman assigned to Earth, its surface devastated after alien attack, reconsid-

pected discovery. With Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko (2013)

18:41 Gunner Lee Gunner tries to save his sons, Luke and Travis, from a dangerous drug gang. With: Luke Hemsworth, Morgan Free-

Hemsworth, Morgan Freeman. Director: Dimitri Logothetis. USA, 2024.

20:27 Flight Risk A pilot transports an Air Marshal accompanying a fugitive to trial. Tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on trial. Tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem. With: Michelle Dockery, Mark Wahlberg, Director:

22:00 Crank Drama. A professional assassin learns that his rival injected him with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops. With Jason Statham, Amy Smart (2006)

23:30 The Colony Forced underground by a new ice age, survivors must fight to preserve humanity against a threat even more savage

threat even more savage than nature. With Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Zegers, Bill Paxton (2013)

00:20 The Killer's Game When a hitman is diagnosed with an illness, he decides to take a hit out on himself. But when the hitmen he hired also target his ex. he

I'med also target my ex, he must fend off an army. With: Dave Bautista, Ben Kingsley. Dir: J.J. Perry. US, 2024.

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YES MOVIES COMEDY (3)

09:10 Couples Retreat Comedy. Four couples go together on vacation. Three of them don't know that the

them don't know that the vacation includes a mandatory couples therapy. With Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman (2009)

11:04 Skiptrace A detective from Hong Kong teams up with an American gambler to battle against a notorious to battle against a notorious Chinese criminal. WithJackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville (US-China, 2016)

12:52 School of Rock A wannabe rock star in need of cash poses as a substitute teacher at a prep school and teacher at a prep school and tries to turn his class into a rock band. With Jack Black, Joan Cusack .(2003)

14:42 Surviving Christmas A lonely, obnoxious young millionaire pays a family to spend Christmas with him. Cast Ben Affleck James

Cast. Ben Arneck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O'Hara. (2004)

16:14 Funny Pages A biting-ly funny coming-of-age story of a teenage cartoonist

guided quest for sour. With Daniel Zolghadri, Matthew Maher. Director: Owen Kline. USA, 2022.

17:43 Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Explores every facet of Yankovic's life, from his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like 'Eat It' and 'Like a

Surgeon' to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle. 2022. 19:32 The Spy Who

19132 The Spy Who Dumped Me Comedy. Two best friends unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy

the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy. With: Mila Kunis. Dir: Susanna Fogel. USA, 2018.

21:30 Tropic Thunder Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a war movie are forced to become the

are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying. With Ben Stiller, Jeff Kahn, Robert Downey Jr. (2008).

23:32 Y2K Two high schoolers crash a millennium party, then the world goes wild. With: Jaeden Martell,

Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison. Director: Kyle Mooney. USA, 2024.

00:51 Pitch Perfect 2 Comedy. After being humiliated by the US president, the girls' choir prepares for a big a cappella challenge. With Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson (2015)

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EUROSPORT

06:00 Olympic Games Hall of Fame: Paris 2024

07:00 Snooker Shenzhen

09:00 Snooker Shenzhen Open, Final

13:20 Cycling Road European Championship

17:20 Cycling Road European Championship

19:45 Mountain Bike World Series

01:15 Snooker Shenzhen Open, Final

02:30 Cycling Road European Championship

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026 • THE JERUSALEM POST

16

Jerusalem Int'l Women's Film Festival returns

• By HANNAH BROWN

'WILD THINGS,' the opening-night movie, directed by Kalil Kovesh. (Zohar Mota'in)

The seventh Jerusalem International Women's Film Festival is to take place October 12-16 at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and other venues around the city, presenting dozens of Israeli and international films that spotlight cinema from a female point of view.

Founded and directed by Lihi Sabag and Shira Meishar, the festival operates under the Women in the Picture association and was established through the Jerusalem Filmmakers Guild. It is held with the cooperation and support of the Jerusalem Municipality, the Jerusalem Foundation, the Culture and Sport Ministry, and the Jerusalem Cinematheque.

The opening film will be Wild Things, the debut feature by Kalil Kovesh, starring Odelia Rand and Alma Zack. Rand plays a young woman who returns to her kibbutz after being released from detention, with her driver's license revoked.

Fired from her job in the cowshed, she reluctantly becomes a classroom aide, working with a withdrawn third-grader in foster care. Their friendship offers both a chance to grow, even as she struggles with her parents and estrangement from friends.

One of the highlights will be a tribute to Hanna Azoulay-Hasfari, an actress/writer/director who has made films such as Orange People about several generations of Moroccan women. She will receive the festival's achievement award for her work as an actress, playwright, screenwriter, director, and activist, particularly her exploration of Mizrahi women's lives.

The tribute includes Sh'Chur, the autobiographical film she wrote and starred in, directed by Shmuel Hasfari, and Orange People, about three generations of Moroccan women who believe in magic, which she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in.

Episodes from her documentary series about working women will also be shown. Her new short, Brit Olam, stars Yael Abecassis, Irit Sheleg, Shai Lee Atary, and Yuval Segal, and examines the repercussions of a secret kept for 30 years.

One unusual aspect of this festival is that its activities continue throughout the year.

A year-round project brings films, meetings with directors, and workshops in writing, acting, and video therapy to shelters for women who have experienced violence.

This year's program also highlights people with disabilities and mental health difficulties, with screenings at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and Jerusalem's Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center.

Four Israeli competitions cover features and documentaries, independent shorts, student films, and films by high school students.

The feature competition, supported by the Beracha Foundation, includes Dina Zvi-Riklis's Blue Marks, adapted from Emilie Moatti's novel about a young woman from Netanya whose life changes in Paris, and Shiran Shaharabani's Spikes, about three childhood friends on a hitchhiking trip.

Other entries include Reut Akerman's Home!, about an adopted girl contacted by her dying biological mother; Nurit Jacobs-Yinon's Alice.

Last Conversations, documenting feminist pioneer Alice Shalvi's final year; Emmanuelle Mayer's The Woman in White, uncovering a woman's overlooked role in the history of peace with Egypt; and Shir Huri Abu's Sarah's Life, following a young woman who leaves the ultra-Orthodox world.

The independent shorts address subjects ranging from fertility treatments and audition-room boundaries to sexuality, family secrets, and urban life in Israel.

The international selection includes Uta Briesewitz's American Sweatshop, starring Lili Reinhart as a social media content moderator drawn into an obsessive investigation, and Petra Volpe's Frank & Louis, featuring Kingsley Ben-Adir and Laurence Fishburne in a story about prisoners and redemption.

Mélisa Godet's A Place for Her stars Karin Viard in a drama about women helping survivors of violence, while the animated Tangles features the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, and Seth Rogen.

The Ktzarot pitching event, held with the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, will award a NIS 250,000 production grant.

Free events organized with the municipality's Youth Authority include a screening of Ella Armony's documentary, called Girl, Woman, about her mother, singer Dafna Armony, at Mazkeka, and The Secrets of La'Isha at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute.

A stand-up evening will feature Mai Sayag, Hagit Weiner, and Rotem Weissberg. Selected movies will stream for free at jwff.co.il, where the full program is available and tickets are sold.

Undercooked erotic drama wastes Hathaway, Johnson

FILM REVIEW

• By ADAM GRAHAM

ANNE HATHAWAY as Verity Crawford in the movie 'Verity.'

(Alisha Wetherill/Amazon Content Services LLC./TNS)

The Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity promises a trashy good time, but only delivers on half that proposition. And not the good half.

It's the kind of movie, like last year's hit The Housemaid, which is built from the DNA of yesteryear's erotic thrillers, juiced up with a game cast that knows the waters in which they're swimming. But where The Housemaid made good on its frothy premise, Verity comes up dry. It's all soap and no suds.

Anne Hathaway stars as Verity Crawford, bestselling author of lurid crime fiction novels with one-word titles such as “Honor” and “Hospitality.” When Verity is rendered paralyzed following a car wreck, her team seeks an author to continue her work, ghost-penning the latest entries in her hit “Noble Virtues” series.

They recruit Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson, flat by even Dakota Johnson standards), a published but struggling novelist whose book readings draw single-digit crowds. She first makes the acquaintance of Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett), Verity's husband, at a crosswalk where a woman has just been hit by a motorist and Lowen is doused in her blood.

Jeremy follows her to a nearby bathroom where she cleans up and is in no hurry whatsoever to wipe the dead stranger's blood off of her face and clothing. He decides to one-up her situation by telling her he's seen much worse, such as the time he pulled his eight-year-old's body out of a lake.

All normal stuff, nothing to see here.

And for awhile, Verity offers up a kind of dumb-fun play on a familiar formula, as Lowen moves into Verity's house to continue her work, slowly growing closer to Jeremy along the way.

But its laborious pacing really starts to drag in the second hour, there's no heat whatsoever in its romance and its clunky writing becomes plodding. ("We were junkies," Verity writes, "I was his drug, and he was mine." Spare me!)

By the time it has to deliver something of substance and its big twist finally arrives, it has the double misfortune of being both poorly handled and completely unsatisfying, raising more questions than it answers. Chief among them: what's the point of any of this?

Verity is directed by Michael Showalter, reteaming with

Hathaway after the charming 2024 boy band romance The Idea of You, and he has no feel whatsoever for the material. Where Paul Feig dialed up the dishiness and drama of The Housemaid, creating a devilish and delicious comic stew, Showalter's approach is flat-footed, and does nothing to serve what is an already dour drama.

Feig also had better material to work with. The screenplay here by Nick Antosca, which is based on Hoover's 2018 novel, is all set up and no payoff, relishing in writing exercises as major narrative twists.

Even the subjects Verity pretends to give voice to, such as maternal jealousy, are handled with the delicacy of a woman standing on the street and being splattered by a stranger's blood. Verity is both a writing exercise and a movie gone off the rails.

(The Detroit News/TNS)

Mark Feuerstein heads to Israel to film new Yes thriller

• By HANNAH BROWN

American-Jewish actor Mark Feuerstein, who played everyone's favorite concierge doctor in Royal Pains, will be arriving in Israel in the coming days to begin filming Midair, a new action thriller that will air on Yes.

Produced by Paramount's Ananey Studios, in collaboration with KODA and Jaya Entertainment, the series also stars Aviv Alush and Gal Malka.

In a story that sounds especially topical after the attempted hijacking last week, Midair follows a pilot and a combat navigator, played by Alush and Malka, aboard a fighter jet carrying a mysterious weapon high above Israel.

As they struggle to keep the aircraft airborne, a team on the ground led by a CIA agent, played by Feuerstein, races to neutralize the weapon before the crisis becomes a disaster.

Set against a volatile political and geopolitical backdrop, the series combines airborne action with an intelligence thriller.

Feuerstein is one of America's most interesting character actors, who has often been cast in nice-Jewish-boy roles. He recently played a rabbi turned gunslinger in Guns & Moses, and he has appeared in The West Wing, In Her Shoes, Lady in the Lake, Prison Break, Practical Magic, and many other movies and series.

Midair was created by Kobi Rabi, Ram Landes, and Yizhar Har-Lev, with Ilan Aboudi directing. Har-Lev serves as head writer, alongside screenwriters Rabi, Landes, and Aurit Zamir.

ConnectEd launches English-speaking community for Jewish educators

versity's experts and ANU's educational resources.

the Jewish world," she said.

• By HANNAH BROWN

ConnectEd, a global network for educators working in Jewish education, has launched an English-speaking community with an online discussion featuring author and scholar Dara Horn.

Established by the Koret Center for Jewish Civilization, a partnership between ANU – Museum of the Jewish People and Tel Aviv University, ConnectEd has attracted more than 900 educators and education professionals worldwide in less than a year.

Initially developed for Hebrew-speaking educators, it offers webinars, peer learning, working groups, and collaborative projects, drawing on the experience of the uni-

The English-speaking community extends these opportunities to anglo-phone educators worldwide, with additional languages for more communities planned.

"Jewish educators are at the heart of building a strong sense of Jewish belonging," said Oded Revivi, ANU's CEO.

Naama Klar, the director of ANU's Koret International School for Jewish Peoplehood, said the network's rapid growth reflected educators' need to explore questions about Jewish identity and belonging, particularly since October 7.

"They should be explored together, in conversation with educators from across

Horn, the author of The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living and People Love Dead Jews and the founder of the Tell Institute, inaugurated the English-speaking community with a webinar titled: How to Bring the Story of the Jewish People to Our Students and Communities.

Drawing on her educational work, she has encouraged participants to approach contemporary discourse with “curiosity and courage” and discussed how to understand and address antisemitism.

"Ultimately it's a lie – a lie that people use to gain or maintain power," Horn said. For more information, visit koretcenter.org

Second Temple drama 'Legend of Destruction' now available in the US

• By HANNAH BROWN

Gidi Dar's Legend of Destruction, the movie that depicts the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple through images, is now available for digital purchase in the US on platforms including Apple TV, Google Play, and Prime Video.

The English-language version features Oscar Isaac, Evangeline Lilly, Elliott Gould, Billy Zane, and Marilu Henner. It was directed by Dar, who has made such acclaimed films as Ush-pizin and Eddie King, and it was written by Dar and Shuli Rand.

The two have collaborated frequently, and their upcoming film, The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan), had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival this year.

Legend of Destruction brings ancient Jerusalem to life through 1,500 original paintings by David Polonsky (who also worked on Waltz with Bashir) and Michael Faust.

The story follows Ben Batich, voiced by Isaac, an idealistic young man who joins the zealots rebelling against Rome, driven by anger at corruption and inequality. As the revolt that began in 66 CE descends into civil war, his pursuit of justice turns into fanaticism, helping the Romans to destroy the temple and retake control of Jerusalem.

Lilly voiced Queen Berenice, Gould played Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Zane portrayed rebel leader Bar Giora, and Henner voiced Batich's mother.

Drawing on Josephus's The Jewish War, Talmudic legends, and historical research, the film explored how a divided society can bring about its own downfall.

“By stripping away the illusion of 24 frames per second, we invite the viewer's mind to fill in the gaps, creating not just motion, but emotional depth,” Dar said of its unusual visual approach.

Isaac said he quickly stopped noticing that the images were still paintings: "I felt like I was watching Gladiator."

Lilly described the film as "a warning signal for the modern world."

More information is available at legendofdestruction.com

Paramount+ picks up ‘The Road Between Us’

'THE ROAD Between Us.' (Courtesy)

• By HANNAH BROWN

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, Barry Avrich's documentary about retired IDF Maj.-Gen. Noam Tibon's extraordinary mission to save his son's family during Hamas's October 7 massacre is now available for streaming in the US on Paramount+.

The film arrived on the service on September 29, ahead of the third anniversary of the Hamas attack. American viewers can watch it with a Paramount+ subscription through the service's website or app.

The documentary follows Tibon and his wife, Gali, as they undertake a desperate journey to Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Their son, Haaretz journalist Amir Tibon, his wife, Miri, and their two young daughters were hiding in their home's safe room as terrorists attacked the kibbutz. Drawing on firsthand testimony and footage from that day, Avrich reconstructs a rescue that unfolds with thriller-like urgency.

The journey involved much more than reaching their own family. Along the way, Noam and

Gali helped both survivors fleeing the Nova music festival and wounded soldiers.

Gali drove soldiers to a hospital, while Noam continued toward Nahal Oz, eventually joining troops fighting their way through the kibbutz. After hours of uncertainty, he reached his son's home and brought the family to safety.

"I wanted to make a film about family, not flags," Avrich said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post last year. He explained that seeing Tibon on 60 Minutes prompted him to imagine how he would respond to a message like the one Noam received from Amir, begging for help.

Tibon's determination to help wounded strangers, even while his family's fate remained unknown, became a central element of the film.

The documentary won the People's Choice Award for best documentary at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Its success followed a controversy in which it was initially removed from the festival's lineup over clearance demands concerning Hamas bodycam footage, then reinstated after widespread protests.

Its arrival on Paramount+ gives American audiences another opportunity to see this account of courage and survival, following its US theatrical release last October. Through one family's experience, the moving film conveys both the terror of that day and the resolve of those who stepped forward to help.\*