Aug. 4: Bennett says Netanyahu gave up on defeating Hamas, ‘gave the Qataris the keys to Gaza’

Knesset Finance Committee votes to transfer hundreds of millions of shekels to Settlements Ministry

Finance Committee chair MK Hanoch Milwidsky leads a committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 9, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Hours after approving the allocation of over a quarter billion shekels ($82.6 million) in coalition funds to the ultra-Orthodox education system, lawmakers on the Knesset Finance Committee vote to reallocate hundreds of millions of shekels to the Settlement Ministry as well as around NIS 330 million ($109 million) for grants to communities along the Lebanon border as part of an approximately NIS 1 billion ($332 million) change to the 2026 state budget.

The Settlements Ministry is set to receive NIS 157 million ($52 million) in direct funding as well as NIS 142 million ($47 million) in commitment authorizations, according to a statement released by the committee.

An additional NIS 78 million ($25.8 million) will go to the Religious Services Ministry to pay for increased staffing levels, budget additions to rabbinical courts and other operational needs.

Opposition lawmakers on the Finance Committee had temporarily managed to block the massive funding allocations for Haredi education, as well as for the Settlements Ministry, with a filibuster in a marathon session last Wednesday that extended past the 10 hours allowed for parliamentary meetings during a recess.

The Knesset House Committee had designated the Wednesday session ahead of time as the last one of the recess period in which items could be put on the Finance Committee agenda without prior agreement between the opposition and coalition.

But on Sunday, after unspecified “heavy pressure” from the coalition, Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik said the Finance Committee could reconvene to vote on the timed-out amendments.

Ex-general assailed as a ‘traitor’ as Haredi demonstrators attack event for ultra-Orthodox draftees

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters descend on a conference in central Jerusalem about special tracks for Haredim to draft into the Israel Defense Forces.

Some of the demonstrators block the way of a cab carrying the event’s organizers, kicking and shouting and spitting at them as they leave, footage shows.

At one point, protesters chase after a Haredi man who is accused of supporting the effort to enlist ultra-Orthodox men, according to reports. Police who intervene to protect the man are called “Nazis” and “murderers” by the demonstrators.

Among those assailed at is Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter, who gave a presentation at the event. As he leaves, he’s surrounded by protesters, who call him a “traitor to the Jewish nation.”

מארגני הכנס למלש"בים חרדים מותקפים ביציאתם על ידי מפגינים בחוץ pic.twitter.com/g3bXadVy7o

— שילה פריד???????? (@shilofreid) August 4, 2026

דרמה ברחובות ירושלים: חרדים רודפים אחרי פעיל חרדי שמנסה לקדם גיוס לצה"ל תחת קריאות "רוצח", שוטרים הגיעו למקום לחלץ אותו pic.twitter.com/IakU56CK33

— יואלי ברים yoeli brim (@yoeli_brim) August 4, 2026

The demonstrators are affiliated with the extremist Jerusalem Faction.

Yoaz Hendel, of the Reservists party, calls the violent demonstration “a disgrace that has no place in the State of Israel.”

“Draft dodgers get backing, while those who enlist are given the cold shoulder,” he writes.

“Where is the national security minister? Where is the prime minister? Where is [Finance Minister] Bezalel Smotrich,” he asks, adding that the latter is “afraid” of Haredi political activists.

Netanyahu announces Israel ‘didn’t agree’ to Board of Peace’s plan to disarm Hamas

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues a video statement on August 4, 2026. (Screen capture/Facebook)

In his first public comments on the matter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has not agreed to the Board of Peace’s disarmament plan, which was accepted by Hamas last week.

Reiterating comments in recent days attributed to “senior Israeli officials,” Netanyahu says in a video posted to Facebook that Israel will not withdraw “from our current lines” in Gaza “until Hamas is completely disarmed.”

This would appear to go against the disarmament plan, which requires Israel to pull back to the original Yellow Line in Gaza. Israel withdrew to that line as part of the October 2025 ceasefire-hostage release deal with Hamas, but has since expanded its control of the Strip from 53 percent to over 60%.

While the Board of Peace indicated that Israel would not have to carry out withdrawals beyond the original Yellow Line until Hamas at least begins to hand over its weapons, Netanyahu asserts that Israeli forces will not move at all, as his election campaign kicks into gear.

“President Trump thinks — or his team thinks — that they can get Hamas to disarm and demilitarize Gaza. We are looking into it. They sent us a draft. We did not agree to it. It was not our draft. We sent back our comments,” Netanyahu says in the video statement.

The “draft” Netanyahu describes isn’t supposed to be open for debate with Israel, as it was the result of separate negotiations with Hamas. A senior US official briefing reporters last week said that the disarmament proposal is an extension of Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war, which Israel already accepted last fall. Accordingly, Israel is only being asked to maintain its adherence to the 20-point plan, the US official said.

But with Israel opposing the Hamas disarmament proposal, the Board of Peace indicated Monday that it may reopen the terms of the deal for deliberation, issuing a statement that suggested it was changing the terms of the Israeli withdrawal in Jerusalem’s favor after the US-led panel’s top envoys held a meeting with Netanyahu.

Acquiescing to Israeli demands for amendments, however, risks losing Hamas’s backing for the proposal, which took months to secure.

The disarmament proposal also requires Israel to immediately halt all military operations in Gaza once the plan takes effect. While Israel has pushed back on this condition, it did reportedly agree to tighten the rules of engagement in Gaza, requiring the approval of the IDF chief of staff before any single strike can go ahead.

Netanyahu does not deny that policy change, but insists, “we are instructing IDF soldiers to do whatever is necessary to defend themselves, defend our territory and defend people.”

White House set to extend Jones Act waiver as Trump hunts for cheaper gasoline

Illustrative: Gas prices are displayed at a Mobil gas station July 28, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

The White House is expected to extend a waiver of the century-old Jones Act in the coming days, sources say, reaching for one of the few tools it has to try and hold down gasoline prices.

The Jones Act requires cargo moving between US ports to be carried on ships built in the US, owned by US companies and crewed by American workers, and the waiver aims to lower gas prices by increasing shipping flexibility and reducing transport bottlenecks.

The current waiver is set to expire on August 16 and has already become the longest suspension of the Jones Act rules in the program’s history. The exemption has been used nearly 200 times over four and a half months through the end of July, according to US government data.

Trump spoke with emir of Qatar about deescalating US-Iran tensions, Gulf state says

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani gestures next to US President Donald Trump at Al Udeid Air Base, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump held a phone call earlier today with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during which the pair discussed “efforts to deescalate tensions between the US and Iran,” the latter’s office says.

Trump and Sheikh Tamim talked about bridging remaining differences between the US and Iran in order to reach a “sustainable diplomatic solution to the crisis,” according to the Qatari readout.

Tamim stressed the importance of sticking to diplomacy and ensuring all parties adhere to the commitments made in the memorandum of understanding that was inked between the US and Iran in June before falling apart within days.

The Qatari emir also expressed his support for “international initiatives aimed at containing tensions,” his office says.

Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, June 16, 2026. (AP)

Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East, regional officials say.

Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials tell The Associated Press.

They say negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the US blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials speak on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors.

The comments echo US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement earlier today that “there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet.”

A US official familiar with the negotiations says that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iran or charges. The official, who is also speaking on condition of anonymity, says the US remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.”

Report: Shin Bet agents sought administrative detention orders for Jews, Zini vetoed

Shin Bet director David Zini at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem during Memorial Day on April 21, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

In the wake of heightened violence in the West Bank, Shin Bet field agents recommended that several Jews — presumably extremist settlers — who are suspected of nationalist crime be placed in administrative detention, but the head of the agency, David Zini, declined to do so, Channel 13 reports.

Sources in the Shin Bet tell the network that Zini said Jewish rioters could be dealt with using different methods instead, echoing the policy of Defense Minister Israel Katz, who called for an end to such orders against Jews, and recently lashed out at the IDF’s West Bank commander for seeking to renew one.

Administrative detention is a measure that allows suspects to be held without trial when there is not enough evidence for a normal warrant.

The Shin Bet, in response to the report, says it “does not comment on the discussions of professionals in the service.”

Projectile sinks Indian ship near Yemeni waters, but all seafarers safe

A projectile has hit an Indian vessel causing it to capsize and sink near Yemeni waters but all 14 seafarers have been safely rescued by Yemen’s coast guard, Indian’s shipping minister says on X.

“Indian MSV Faize Noore Oliya has been hit by a projectile near Yemeni waters, causing the vessel to capsize and sink,” he writes.

“India strongly condemns this unprovoked attack on the defenseless mechanised sailing vessel. The safety of our people is our supreme priority & I am relieved to inform that ALL 14 seafarers (including 13 Indians) have been safely rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard and brought to the Port of Mokha.”

The statement doesn’t specify who launched the projectile, but ships have previously been targeted near Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi group, which controls part of that country and is at war with its internationally recognized government.

Coalition said considering legal fight over ban on parties tracking who’s voted

Workers prepare ballot boxes for the upcoming Israeli elections, at the Central Elections Committee warehouse in Shoham, before they are shipped to polling stations, October 12, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition is considering petitioning the High Court of Justice against Central Elections Committee chairman Noam Sohlberg’s decision to ban polling station workers and party observers from sharing information about who has voted, Channel 13 reports.

Sohlberg is also the deputy president of the High Court of Justice.

In a statement, the committee argued that “election laws do not authorize party representatives to transfer this information for the purpose of party activity, and in the absence of express authorization the transfer of information is prohibited.”

Speaking with Channel 13, a senior Likud official called the ruling a “targeted elimination of the right-wing.”

IMF agrees on technical assistance program for war-ravaged Syria

The International Monetary Fund says it has agreed on a wide-ranging technical assistance program for conflict-ravaged Syria, where the new government is rebuilding the economy after more than a decade of civil war.

The agreed-upon IMF technical assistance program will include helping Syrian authorities with capacity building on fiscal reforms, revenue mobilization and public debt management.

The program will also focus on financial sector reforms, including preparing new legislation and regulations, helping to rehabilitate the crippled banking sector and enhancing anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorism-financing controls.

Syria has not officially asked the IMF for a bailout package. Such a request would be contingent on a debt analysis and possible restructuring, and negotiations with the IMF.

Eisenkot adds Ramat Gan deputy mayor to Yashar list, touting ‘values-driven leadership’

Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Israel Zari, left, shakes hands with Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot, in a photo released after the party announces Zari will be on its electoral list. (Courtesy Yashar)

Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot announces the addition of Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Israel Zari, who is responsible for the Stock Exchange complex directorate, to his electoral list, stating that he “brings with him young, brave, and values-driven leadership, alongside municipal experience and work to strengthen civic engagement among youth and young adults.”

The 36-year-old has previously served as an adviser to the transportation minister as well as spokesman for the Israel Scouts and the Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel and was Ramat Gan’s “first openly gay elected official,” Yashar notes in a statement.

IDF commandos capture Islamic Jihad operative in West Bank city of Nablus

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror operative was captured by Israeli commandos in the West Bank city of Nablus last night, the IDF says.

The military says soldiers of the Duvdevan Commando Unit raided Nablus’s old city following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet on the operative’s whereabouts.

The operative, who in the past was affiliated with the Lion’s Den terror organization, was acting to advance “terror activities,” the army adds.

Millions of Shiites, including Iran’s FM, make Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, center, is surrounded by security personnel as he walks during the Arbaeen commemoration in Najaf, Iraq, August 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

Millions of Shiite Muslims observe the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, under the shadow of ongoing regional tensions and fears of another round of escalation in the US-Iran war.

Arbaeen is held 40 days after Ashura, which commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and members of his family, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.

Karbala Gov. Nasseif Jassim al-Khattabi says more than 22 million people entered the city during the pilgrimage, including about 5 million non-Iraqi visitors as well as Iraqis from different regions of the country.

Among the highest-profile foreign visitors is Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in the Iraqi city of Najaf yesterday and continued on to Karbala to take part in the pilgrimage.

Iraq exported 30 mn barrels of crude via Hormuz in a month: monitor

Around 30 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz between July 4 and August 4, according to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler.

Before the Middle East war, which choked shipments through the vital waterway, Iraq produced around four million barrels per day, and exported an average of 105 million barrels per month, mostly from its Basra oil terminal via Hormuz.

Separately, a Syrian official lays out a timeline of around three years to restore a key pipeline between the two countries.

Two passengers faint as Air Haifa plane sits on Larnaca tarmac without AC

Two passengers faint on an Air Haifa plane today, as the aircraft was stuck for some two hours on a Larnaca tarmac, without air conditioning.

In a statement, Air Haifa says: “We apologize to the travelers for the discomfort and are investigating the incident.”

“After the plane’s landing in Larnaca, there was a delay connecting the plane to the air conditioning system due to unexpected maintenance constraints at the airport.”

The airline offers a $75 credit to the affected passengers.

IDF said to tighten policy for Gaza strikes, now requiring chief of staff’s OK

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) is seen with his office manager, Lt. Col. Tomer Sayag (left) and Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth at the Judea and Samaria Division headquarters near Beit El in the West Bank, July 19, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli military has reportedly tightened its policy for strikes in the Gaza Strip, which now require the approval of the chief of staff.

Previously, strikes targeting terror operatives in Gaza only required the approval of the chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, or various division commanders operating in the Strip.

Army Radio reports that at the start of this week, the policy changed, with “targeted elimination” strikes requiring the approval of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

This has resulted in a reduction in the number of strikes seen in the Strip in recent days, when previously, Israel was carrying out near-daily attacks on terror operatives, while claiming they were targeted for violating the truce.

The IDF has not yet commented on the report.

Central Elections Committee bans poll workers from tracking who’s voted, sharing info with parties

Israelis cast their ballots in the Israeli general elections, at a voting station in Jerusalem,on November 1, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Central Elections Committee chairman Noam Sohlberg bans polling station workers and party observers from sharing information about who has voted, explaining in a statement that noting voters’ identities “constitutes a violation of privacy and is not permitted under the provisions of the Privacy Protection Law.”

Sohlberg, who is also the deputy president of the High Court of Justice, asserts that “election laws do not authorize party representatives to transfer this information for the purpose of party activity, and in the absence of express authorization the transfer of information is prohibited.”

The ruling comes in response to a petition by Shahar Ben Meir objecting to the practice of party representatives using dedicated apps to keep track of who has voted in order to allow them to approach supporters who have not yet done so and encourage them to cast ballots.

Doing so “violates the right to privacy and the secrecy of elections,” the committee declares, adding that the petition was opposed by the Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Religious Zionism parties while other parties did not weigh in on the matter.

Man in 70s stabbed in Tel Aviv, seriously wounded

A man of approximately 75 years of age has been seriously wounded in a stabbing on Levinsky Street in Tel Aviv, paramedics say.

He is taken to Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) for treatment, suffering penetrating wounds.

Police do not immediately comment on the motive for the stabbing.

Rubio: Progress made in talks to reopen Hormuz, but there’s still some work to do

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks as US President Donald Trump listens during a cabinet meeting, July 31, 2026, at Camp David, the presidential retreat, near Thurmont, Maryland, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says progress has been made on a deal with Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though there still is some work to go.

“There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet,” Rubio tells reporters at the State Department.

Trump claimed on Saturday that a deal was imminent when he decided to pull back from his latest threat to bomb Iran. Then on Monday, he claimed that a deal could be signed on Tuesday.

Rubio reiterates that the agreement currently under discussion only deals with Hormuz and that an additional deal will need to be signed pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program.

Shuafat man arrested on suspicion of planning terror attack

Border Police officers guided by the Shin Bet arrested and raided the home of a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem’s Shuafat refugee camp last night, police say in a statement.

They say he is suspected of “advancing terrorist activities and planning to carry out a terror attack.”

The police share video footage from the arrest.

סוכל פיגוע – חשוד נעצר במחנה הפליטים שועפאט שבאזור ירושלים

אמש פעלו מסתערבי מג״ב ירושלים יחד עם כוח של מג״ב עוטף ירושלים ומחוז ירושלים ובהכוונת שב"כ, לפשיטה על ביתו ומעצרו של תושב מחנה הפליטים שועפאט, החשוד בקידום פעילות טרור ובתכנון לבצע פיגוע pic.twitter.com/nVUDvvf0Za

— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) August 4, 2026

Suspect in killing of Rishon Lezion lawyer turns himself in

Police at the scene of where a well-known lawyer was murdered in apparent targeted killing at Rishon Lezion office, August 4, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)

The suspect in the killing of a lawyer in Rishon Lezion today has turned himself in at the Lachish regional police station, police say.

The suspect is a Ramle resident in his 20s, who allegedly came to the lawyer’s office, shot him repeatedly and fled, police say in a statement.

Police Central District Commander Superintendent Amir Cohen confirms to Hebrew media that the suspect is a client who was “apparently unhappy with the service” he received from the lawyer.

Oil prices plunge after Bessent says Hormuz deal could come tomorrow

Oil prices tumble after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s statement that Washington could soon reach a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The main US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, drops five percent to $76.32 a barrel, while the international benchmark Brent North Sea crude falls back below $80 a barrel.

In an interview with CNBC today, Bessent said: “We are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

Jordan to host conference on countering Israeli policies in Jerusalem

The Old City of Jerusalem on April 5, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Jordan will host foreign ministers from Muslim countries tomorrow to create a plan to counter Israeli policies in Jerusalem, Jordan’s foreign ministry says.

The meeting will focus on “crystallizing a common position in confronting the escalatory and illegitimate Israeli measures that target the identity of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctuaries,” says Jordan.

The meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Iraq, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Jordan views itself as a custodian of the Temple Mount and the Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem — a status Israel does not recognize, though it acknowledged the kingdom’s “special role” on the Temple Mount in the countries’ peace treaty.

Bennett: Netanyahu gave up on defeating Hamas, ‘gave the Qataris the keys to Gaza’

Naftali Bennett speaking at the  Gaza border town of Netiv Ha’asara, August 4, 2026. (Courtesy Together party)

There is a direct connection between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions and Hamas’s rearming in Gaza, declares former prime minister Naftali Bennett.

Speaking at the Gaza border town of Netiv Ha’asara, Bennett says that Hamas has “rehabilitated itself” while “the government of Israel simply threw up its hands and completely abandoned Gaza” and Qatar, which “funded [Hamas’s] Nukhba [force] took back the reins, and now a Hamas-istan is rising under our noses again.”

“Hamas has restored its command system, they appointed company commanders, battalion commanders, brigade commanders, rearmed themselves with long-range missiles, UAVs, drones, and weaponry and are now digging the tunnels anew,” Bennett says, adding that they are “already training for the next massacre.”

Slamming the “the dangerous agreement” over the future of Gaza being promoted by Trump’s Board of Peace, Bennett says “a direct line connects the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem to what is happening here behind the fence: Netanyahu gave up on eliminating Hamas, brought Qatar into the Prime Minister’s Office, and later gave the Qataris the keys to Gaza.”

Bennett has repeatedly slammed Netanyahu over the so-called Qatargate affair involving allegations that top aides to the prime minister were acting as paid lobbyists for Qatar, where Hamas’s leadership is based, while simultaneously working for Netanyahu.

Wildfire between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem under control; routes 1, 6 reopened in both directions

The wildfire in the Ben Shemen area, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, has been brought under control, say the police and Fire and Rescue Services.

Routes 1 and 6 are reopened for traffic in both directions.

“Officers are still present at the scene, aiding in directing the flow of traffic. The driving public is asked to heed the officer’s instructions,” police note.

Irish state jet may struggle to land in fog, having forgone Israeli equipment – report

A Falcon 6X by French plane maker Dassault flies during the International Paris Air Show at the Paris Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, June 19, 2023. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

A new Irish government jet may struggle to land in bad weather, because it was ordered without key equipment from an Israeli firm, according to a report in Irish outlet The Journal.

The 53 million euro (61 million USD) Dassault Falcon 6X aircraft would normally include Elbit’s FalconEye low-visibility system, a system of cameras and censors that gives pilots additional information amid fog or darkness.

In August 2024, Ireland said it would no longer award Israeli companies defense contracts, citing an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice against Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

According to the report, Ireland would have had to enter a written agreement with the Israeli company in order to have the system included, and “procurement officials determined this was a step too far.”

The Irish defense department has not confirmed or denied the absence of the system, but has said “there are no current limits on the operational capability of the aircraft.”

However, The Journal cites pilots as saying the lack of the FalconEye does limit pilots’ options for landing in foggy weather.

Coalition secures extra quarter-billion shekels for Haredi education; opposition alleges ‘theft’

Finance Committee chair MK Hanoch Milwidsky, right, speaks with MKs Moshe Gafni, center, and Yitzhak Pindrus during a Knesset Finance Committee meeting in Jerusalem, August 4, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Following hours of acrimonious debate, the Knesset Finance Committee votes to approve the allocation of over a quarter billion shekels ($82.6 million) in coalition funds to the ultra-Orthodox education system despite a legislative recess that started last month.

Addressing the committee, The Democrats MK Naama Lazimi calls the funding “theft from the serving public.”

Overall, the committee approved more than NIS 267 million ($88 million), including over NIS 12.5 million ($4 million) for Haredi culture as well as millions for transportation for students of Haredi party-affiliated school networks, teacher training and “coordination and liaison bodies” — an apparent reference to the Vaad HaYeshivot (Yeshiva Committee), a body that encouraged draft evasion.

The funds also include some NIS 26 million ($8.5 million) for preventing Haredim from dropping out of yeshivas, despite a 2025 announcement that the government would no longer finance the education of ultra-Orthodox youths who are studying at so-called “drop-out yeshivas” and decline to enlist in the IDF for their mandatory service.

Drop-out yeshivas are institutions designed to keep Haredi men who are not interested in full-time religious study within an ultra-Orthodox framework, to prevent them from leaving the community.

The committee also authorizes funding for yeshivas that encourage military service as well as Haredi hesder yeshivas, which combine military service with Torah study.

Calling the vote a “significant achievement,” Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni states that “even in these complex times, when the world of Torah and education is facing difficult challenges, it is our duty to continue to care for Israel’s children and the Haredi education system. The budgets approved today are important news… and will help correct distortions and close gaps that have persisted for years.”

The funding was approved despite the fact that only a small fraction of ultra-Orthodox boys’ elementary schools teach core curriculum subjects as required by law.

The Finance Committee has previously sought to divert funds to Haredi institutions despite legal and procedural objections. In March, it approved nearly NIS 100 million ($32.75 million) for Haredi educational institutions as part of a broader NIS 1 billion ($331 million) transfer that had been frozen by the High Court of Justice in December, after opposition lawmakers argued that the government was funding schools that do not teach the core curriculum required by law.

Israeli official: Rome talks to set up working groups with Lebanon, including on borders, reconstruction

Israel’s aim in Rome talks with Lebanon is to “continue the positive momentum by establishing working groups on six issues,” an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

The working groups will be tasked with the maritime borders; the land borders; evaluating the pilot zones where the Lebanese army has replaced the IDF; disarming Hezbollah; stopping the flow of Iranian money into Lebanon; and stepping up reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon.

US’s Bessent: Could have deal with Iran on Hormuz Strait by tomorrow

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, June 16, 2026. (AP)

US Secretary Scott Bessent says there could be a deal reached with Iran on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by today or tomorrow.

“We are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict,” Bessent says in an interview with CNBC.

Woman killed, two wounded in collision involving 3 buses, medics say

A woman approximately 80 years old has been killed and two others aged about 70 have sustained serious and moderate wounds, respectively, in a collision involving three buses in Ashkelon, first responders say.

The three women were pedestrians, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

Medics declared the first woman dead on the spot and rushed the other two women to the southern city’s Barzilai Hospital, according to police and the ambulance service.

Police say they have launched an investigation into the collision and are facilitating the flow of traffic.

אוטובוס פגע בהולכי רגל באשקלון – במקום מספר פצועים בדרגות פציעה שונות pic.twitter.com/eJ0YV6jWdC

— כל החדשות בזמן אמת (@Saher_News_24_7) August 4, 2026

Major wildfire between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem causes closure of central highways

Two of the busiest highways in the country have been closed due to a major wildfire raging in the Ben Shemen area, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, police say.

Route 6 has been completely blocked in both directions, with traffic being redirected to Route 444.

Route 1 eastward has been blocked in the Ben Shemen area, with traffic redirected to Route 443.

Police ask drivers to avoid approaching the closed-off areas, expect heavy traffic, not obstruct rescue forces and be patient and responsible.

The Fire and Rescue Service says 21 firefighting teams and four firefighting planes are currently battling the blaze, and have managed to contain its spread for now.

שרפת ענק בכביש 6 | כ-21 צוותי כיבוי קרקעיים ו-4 מטוסים פועלים בשעה זו באזור מחלף בן שמן – והצליחו לבלום את השרפה. הכבישים עדיין חסומים, הציבור מתבקש להימנע מהגעה לאזור לחלוטין. צילום: דוברות כב"ה pic.twitter.com/cZpGu5I0iQ

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) August 4, 2026

בשל שריפה: כביש 6 נחסם לשני הכיוונים באזור בן שמן, כביש 1 נסגר לכיוון מזרח; מטוסי כיבוי הוזנקו | כל הפרטים >>> https://t.co/rTZH5fsrkj @hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/0F3OvtA3B2

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 4, 2026

Lebanon’s PM fires back at Hezbollah, blaming group for ‘dragging Lebanon into futile war’

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks at a joint declaration press event with France's President Emmanuel Macron following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, April 21, 2026. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

Lebanon’s prime minister fires back at Hezbollah for saying talks with Israel bring “nothing but shame,” saying the Iran-backed terror group dragged the country into war.

Without mentioning Hezbollah by name, Nawaf Salam writes on X that “the greatest support for Israel was provided by the one who distinguished himself by dragging Lebanon into futile war adventures, giving it pretexts to commit aggressions against our country, trample its sovereignty, destroy its cities and villages, kill its sons, and displace them by the hundreds of thousands.”

He says that the ones who “tie Lebanon to external calculations and axes… have no right to hand out certificates in patriotism, let alone in sovereignty.”

Salam calls for “a state with one army that extends its authority over all its territories solely by its own forces.”

Qatar: Israel trying to derail implementation of Trump’s plan for Gaza, must be pressured

Qatar calls on the international community to pressure Israel to live up to its commitments under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, placing the blame for the delay in its implementation squarely on the Jewish state.

“Israel has obligations to fulfill under the ceasefire agreement,” says Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari. “The mediators continue their efforts to expedite the implementation of the second phase of the agreement. Security matters are very important for this.”

“While Hamas has met its obligations, the international community must pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations,” says Ansari.

In fact, the plan calls for Hamas’s full disarmament, which the Palestinian terror group has so far refused to do.

“It is clear to the international community who is obstructing the implementation of the agreement,” he adds. “The full responsibility lies on the Israeli side.”

An increase in Israeli strikes in Gaza over recent days is “nothing more than an attempt to derail the plan’s implementation and block peaceful solutions,” he charges.

Man shot dead in Rishon Lezion, reportedly a lawyer killed by his client

Medics at the site of a fatal criminal shooting in Rishon Lezion, August 4, 2026. (Magen David Adom)

A man of approximately 50 years of age was shot and killed a short while ago in Rishon Lezion, according to first responders.

Officers are scanning the area to locate the suspect, police say.

“The incident is likely of a criminal nature,” rather than nationalist, police add.

Hebrew media outlets identify the slain man as a lawyer, adding that police suspect that a client killed him at the law firm office.

Medics who rushed to the scene found the man in critical condition, with penetrating wounds, not breathing and without a pulse, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says. The medics declared him dead on the spot, according to MDA.

Qatar: Efforts to reach US-Iran agreement ‘ongoing,’ no direct talks currently scheduled

Efforts to bring about a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran are “ongoing,” says Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari.

“We can confirm that efforts are ongoing with all parties, we are looking into a diplomatic solution,” says Ansari.

The focus of those efforts is de-escalation and opening the Strait of Hormuz, he says.

There is no agreement to hold direct talks currently, says Ansari.

Iran demanding Hormuz inbound control, outbound oversight, source says

Iran wants control over inbound shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and visibility over outbound traffic, with the ability to intervene if necessary, under a plan being discussed with Oman to reopen the strategic waterway, a senior Iranian source tells Reuters, adding to previous reporting by The New York Times.

The source, who is involved in the talks, says this is “the general idea currently being discussed,” and specifies that the outbound lane would follow a route between Iran and Oman, with exit clearance granted through Oman after notifying Iran.

“Tehran is unlikely to change its position,” the source adds.

In late July, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran had rejected an Omani proposal for an equal division of transit routes between the two countries, saying such a plan does not address Tehran’s security concerns until long-term regional stability is achieved.

Control of the strait, the narrow waterway between the Gulf and the Indian Ocean that is the main route for about a fifth of world oil supplies and other vital goods, has been a main sticking point in efforts to resolve the US-Israeli war with Iran.

It has been largely blocked since the start of the war in late February.

Yemen’s Houthis say they hit target at Saudi Arabia’s Najran airport

Yemen’s Houthis hit a Saudi target at Saudi Arabia’s Najran Airport, the group says on Telegram.

There is no confirmation from Riyadh.

Eisenkot says man assaulted after removing banner backing Rabin’s killer was party activist, demands police action

Assailants assault a 75-year-old man for taking down a banner calling for the release of Yigal Amir, the far-right assassin who killed Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, on July 28, 2026. (Screenshots/Social media, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot calls on police chief Daniel Levy to investigate the “politically motivated violence” against 75-year-old Ilan Manes, whom far-right youths were recorded assaulting last week after Manes removed a banner that supported Yigal Amir, the 1995 assassin of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Manes, who underwent surgery at Hadassah yesterday after a CT scan showed he had suffered a brain hemorrhage, is the head of Yashar’s local chapter in Mevasseret Zion, Eisenkot says in a letter to Levy. Manes’s party affiliation hadn’t been previously made public.

“This is an extraordinary and serious incident of politically motivated violence,” Eisenkot writes. “This kind of violence, 84 days before election day, could be a very serious sign of what awaits us in this period, and we must not put up with it.”

Eisenkot demands police “conduct a quick, rigorous and comprehensive investigation, and to immediately bring about the arrest and prosecution of the guilty party/parties.”

No one has been arrested over the assault, according to a volunteer lawyer group that helped Manes file a police complaint.

US has used ‘virtually all’ of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war — sources

Video footage shared by US Central Command on July 19, 2026 shows forces launching a ninth consecutive evening of strikes against Iran. (US Central Command video, screenshot via X)

The US Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts.

The missiles are principally the Army’s surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The US has used “virtually all” of these weapons, according to two of the sources.

The degree to which the military is running out of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles has not been previously reported.

The sources decline to say how many of each munition the US has left.

US President Donald Trump launched the Iran war jointly with Israel in February, predicting that the conflict would last a short time.

But as the war drags on, the three people familiar with the matter express worry that the falling missile supplies could limit the US ability to deter adversaries, including Russia and China.

A fourth person familiar with the matter says that while Central Command — which oversees US forces in the Middle East — has nearly used up the land-based missiles it had before the war began, it has been able to reload from US military supplies elsewhere in the world.

Asked for comment on the stockpile data, the White House issues a statement from Trump, saying the US has “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.”

“Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump says.

Hitting back, Golan urges Liberman to ‘stop serving Netanyahu’s incitement campaign’

The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan gives a statement to the media outside the Channel 12 news studio in Tel Aviv, after the building’s entrance doors were smashed by an assailant overnight, July 28, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Democrats party chief Yair Golan calls on Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman to “stop serving [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s incitement campaign,” after the hawkish opposition lawmaker attacked him at a parlor meeting last night.

“Urich says the Democrats are illegitimate because he wants to weaken the change bloc and bring Netanyahu back to power,” and “it’s time to stop echoing his messages,” Golan posts on X, referring to Jonatan Urich, a senior media adviser to Netanyahu, and to the bloc of parties opposed to the premier.

“We can fight now and give Netanyahu another term. Or we can work as a bloc, win, and then argue in the government. We’re choosing victory,” writes Golan.

Yesterday, Liberman stated that Golan should remain quiet because when he speaks publicly, it only helps Netanyahu’s campaign.

Golan should “shut up” because to do so “would be his biggest contribution to our victory,” Hebrew media outlets Ynet and Israel Hayom quoted Liberman as telling a parlor meeting.

Liberman — a right-wing secularist former Netanyahu ally-turned-bitter rival — argued that there are plenty of areas of agreement between the parties on issues such as term limits for prime minister and drafting a constitution, but that “bringing up the issue of a Palestinian state or the evacuation of settlements every two days is complete madness” and is “purely working in Netanyahu’s favor.”

High Court orders Levin to say whether he intends to tap new head of police-probing unit before election

Justice Minister Yariv Levin at a press conference at the Knesset, May 10, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The High Court of Justice orders Justice Minister Yariv Levin to tell it whether he intends to fill the positions of head of the Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) and disputes arbitrator for the unit — which are now vacant as a result of legislation passed by the coalition last month overhauling that agency — before the upcoming election on October 27.

The High Court says Levin’s update to the court must be made in reference to “established case law governing appointments during an election period.”

The High Court has ruled on several occasions that the government should not make senior appointments during an election period, but has said that exceptions can be made when the appointment is indispensable and there is no other reasonable alternative.

The deadline for applications for the position of DIPI chief has been extended several times, and now expires on August 16, meaning the appointment will likely be made during the election campaign.

The legislation overhauling DIPI is highly controversial since it gives the justice minister effective control over the appointments of the DIPI director and arbitrator, which critics, including the attorney general, have said will politicize law enforcement and therefore severely and immediately endanger civil rights in the country.

The High Court’s orders to Levin comes in the framework of petitions filed against the legislation by government watchdog groups and the Israel Bar Association.

Liberman: Golan should ‘shut up,’ is helping Netanyahu; can’t be defense or justice minister in next government

An election campaign poster for Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu party in Tel Aviv, July 27, 2026. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Liberman slams The Democrats chairman Yair Golan, arguing that the left-wing leader should remain quiet because when he speaks publicly, it only helps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign.

Golan should “shut up” because to do so “would be his biggest contribution to our victory,” Hebrew media outlets Ynet and Israel Hayom quote Liberman as telling a parlor meeting last night.

Liberman — a right-wing secularist former Netanyahu ally-turned-bitter rival — argued that there are plenty of areas of agreement between the parties on issues such as term limits for prime minister and drafting a constitution, but that “bringing up the issue of a Palestinian state or the evacuation of settlements every two days is complete madness” and is “purely working in Netanyahu’s favor.”

Liberman also dismisses the possibility of Golan leading the defense, national security or justice ministries in a future opposition-led government.

Israel-Lebanon talks kick off in Rome; Lebanese army touts foiling of arms smuggling to Hezbollah

A motorcade arrives for a new round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli delegations at the US Embassy in Rome, Italy, on August 4, 2026. (Tiziana FABI/AFP)

Motorcades arrive in Rome for the seventh round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon.

The Israeli delegation includes IDF officials, The Times of Israel has learned.

Shortly before talks begin, the Lebanese army releases photos of weapons it intercepted along the Syrian border. The relatively rare publication of operations against weapons destined for Hezbollah is likely meant to show that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is taking its disarming mission seriously, thereby increasing pressure on Israel to continue withdrawing from pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

The LAF says that it seized 122mm Grad rockets that had been smuggled from Syria, as well as the pickup used by the two smugglers.

“Search and raid operations were also carried out against the remaining members of the network, resulting in the seizure of war munitions and military equipment,” says the LAF.

بتاريخ ٤ / ٨ / ٢٠٢٦، نتيجة المتابعة الأمنية لعمليات التهريب عبر الحدود الشمالية والشرقية، ضبطت وحدة من الجيش في جرد عرسال صواريخ غراد ١٢٢ ملم جرى تهريبها من الأراضي السورية إلى الأراضي اللبنانية، إضافة إلى آلية بيك أب كانت تُستخدم لنقلها، وأوقفت المواطنَين (ع.ح.) و(م.و.)، وهُما… pic.twitter.com/lmWrM9R4h4

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) August 4, 2026

Gazan reports: More than 110 bodies recovered from building struck in Nov. 2023

Bodies of members of the Hassayna and Abu Sharia families, allegedly killed in an Israeli strike in 2023 and recently recovered from the rubble, are draped in Palestinian flags during their funeral in Gaza City, August 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Hamas-affiliated media in Gaza reports that rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 112 members of the Abu Sharia and Hassayna clans from the ruins of a residential compound that was struck on November 23, 2023, during the early weeks of the war.

According to the reports, this is the largest number of bodies recovered from a single site since the war began. The recovery operation reportedly started on July 14.

On the day of the attack, the IDF said it had struck some 300 targets across the Gaza Strip.

غزة تشيع 112 شهيدا من عائلة واحدة ارتقوا خلال حرب الإبادة بعد انتشال جثامينهم من تحت الأنقاض. pic.twitter.com/ezKtGlpVGQ

— قناة عودة الفضائية (@AwdehTV) August 4, 2026

أكبر جنازة وتشييع بتاريخ القضية الفلسطينية… تشييع 112 شهيداً من عائلتين بعد انتشالهم من تحت ركام منازلهم، والذين ارتقوا خلال حرب الإبادة على قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/eNuqE2zKll

— ق.ض (@Qadeyah1) August 4, 2026

IDF orders demolition of West Bank home of Palestinian who took part in deadly clash

IDF troops are seen following a deadly gunbattle involved settlers and Palestinians on a street in the village of Tell, near the West Bank city of Nablus, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

The military says the chief of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, has signed a demolition order for the home of a Palestinian who opened fire during a deadly clash in the West Bank village of Tell last month.

During the July 24 incident, Tell resident Farouk Ramadan opened fire with a gun snatched from an Israeli security officer amid a confrontation between residents of the village and a group of Israelis who were hiking through the area.

Israeli civil defense squad member Master Sergeant (res.) Benayahu Mellet, 32, and IDF officer Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, were killed in the incident, along with four Palestinians, including Ramadan.

The IDF says Bluth signed the seizure and demolition order for Ramadan’s home over the weekend. His home was already sealed by the army last week.

Ramadan’s family filed an appeal against the decision, which the IDF rejected. The family still has the opportunity to appeal to the High Court against the demolition. Such attempts rarely succeed, though in some cases the court can limit the demolition order to only the parts of the house used by the assailant.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

Ahead of fresh Israel-Lebanon talks today, Hezbollah says they bring ‘nothing but shame and humiliation’

Hezbollah terror group leader Naim Qassem says direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel will bring “nothing but shame, humiliation and successive compromises” for Lebanon, ahead of new talks in Rome today.

In a televised address, Qassem says Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun “has not acted as an arbiter, nor as a unifying figure, but has become biased and divisive, which is incompatible with his role and with Lebanon’s strength.”

4 more troops who led mass desertion last week jailed, dismissed from combat duty

IDF soldiers are seen outside the Sde Teiman military base near Beersheba, July 30, 2026. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)

Four more soldiers of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion who led a mass desertion of an army base in southern Israel last week have been sentenced to prison and dismissed from combat duty, the military says.

On Thursday, around 100 infantry soldiers left behind their weapons and abandoned the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel after their battalion commander destroyed decorative signs they had put up.

The IDF said that around 80 troops who later returned were required to stay on their base over the weekend, and 14 troops who led the desertion were jailed for 30 days and removed from combat roles.

Today, three more soldiers who led the desertion were jailed for 30 days, and a fourth soldier who is on leave ahead of his release from the army was sentenced to 20 days in jail. All four were also removed from combat roles.

Bennett announces 4 more female party candidates, says Together slate includes 17 women

Former prime minister Naftali Bennnett, center, with four newly announced female candidates on his Together slate -- (L-R) Esti Ayalon Kobo, Olesia Kantor, Bruria Naim Arman and Orly Harel -- in an image published on August 4, 2026. (Courtesy/Together)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett adds four more women to his Together party’s electoral list, bringing the number of women running for the Knesset on his joint slate with Yesh Atid to 17, the party announces.

Bennett has previously said that any future government led by him would advance a move to fill 50% of all senior public service positions with women within five years and named former senior officials Keren Terner and Liran Avisar Ben-Horin as members of his list.

The latest additions are Orly Harel, Bruria Naim Arman, Esti Ayalon Kobo and Olesia Kantor.

Harel is an entrepreneur with experience in artificial intelligence and a former Likud activist who established that party’s women’s forum in Jerusalem.

Arman is a public relations specialist and Together’s founding director general who previously held senior positions on the staff of the transportation and deputy defense ministries.

The Ethiopian-born Kobo previously served as the head of Israel’s economic mission in China and “represented the State of Israel in numerous international economic forums,” the party says.

Kantor is a Russian-born domestic violence survivor who established a philanthropic fund assisting battered women and children and, after the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, started the Heart of Fire initiative, which “provides individual and group care free of charge to survivors who were on the front lines and are dealing with post-trauma and anxiety,” the statement says.

The four new candidates represent “a true Israeli mosaic of top-tier women of action, each in her own field,” says Bennett, adding that Together “has a female majority, not because of gender, but because of a simple decision we made when we set out on this path: to include the best men and women.”

Iran not seeking a wider war, its president claims

Iran defends its borders but does not seek an expansion of war, President Masoud Pezeshkian says, according to state media.

While US President Donald Trump has said talks with Iran are underway, Tehran has denied that any negotiations were planned or are taking place.

Iran, Oman said nearing deal splitting Hormuz control and revenue from ‘fees’ between them

Small boats line the shore as cargo ships and other commercial vessels appear anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 27, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

Iran and Oman are nearing a deal on the Strait of Hormuz that would reopen the waterway but hand Iran unprecedented control over it, The New York Times reports, citing unnamed officials with knowledge of the matter.

The pact would reportedly have ships entering the Persian Gulf cross the strait in a route close to Iran’s coast and controlled by the Islamic Republic. They would be required to pay “service fees,” with revenue divided equally between Iran and Oman, Iranian officials are cited as saying.

Vessels leaving the area would use a route near Oman’s coast.

The report is unclear on who exactly is negotiating the deal, whether the United States is part of the negotiations, or whether Washington is on board.

The report cites a US official as casting the Iranian description of the deal as “not accurate,” asserting that “temporary” routes inaugurated by it would not require Iranian approval or paying tolls.

Until the recent war, the Strait of Hormuz operated for decades as a free international waterway.

Top Arab MK lays out plan to oust Netanyahu even if election ends with deadlock

Hadash–Ta'al party chairman Ayman Odeh speaks during a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 23, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Ayman Odeh, head of the mostly Arab Hadash-Ta’al party that is expected to team up with Balad ahead of the upcoming election, tells Radio 103FM that his alliance is willing to recommend one of the Zionist rivals of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as premier after the vote, even if this won’t result in a viable coalition, in order to replace Netanyahu.

If, as many polls currently show is likely, no coherent bloc ends up securing a Knesset majority for a new coalition, Israel will go to repeat elections until there is a decisive result, as happened in 2019-2021 when there were five elections in close succession.

By default, Netanyahu is set to remain acting prime minister throughout those repeat elections.

But Odeh suggests that, even if the Zionist opposition parties — whose right flank refuses to form a coalition with Arab parties — fail to win 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset, triggering new elections, his party will team up with those parties to make sure that the acting prime minister isn’t Netanyahu.

In Israel’s coalition system, any lawmaker who, after the election, gets the recommendation of at least 61 MKs as prime minister can get the opportunity from the president to form a ruling government.

Odeh’s suggestion is that, while Hadash-Ta’al won’t be included in a coalition, it will recommend a Netanyahu rival — likely Gadi Eisenkot, according to current polling — as prime minister and vote to form a coalition, replacing the premier. Then, that “coalition” will immediately fall and new elections will be held — but without Netanyahu having the luxury of staying in power in an acting capacity until his rivals win outright.

Odeh notes that his parties twice recommended Benny Gantz as prime minister during the repeat election cycles of 2019-2021, but Gantz lacked the “courage” to go through with this plan.

Syria says Grad rockets discovered near Israeli border

Syria’s Internal Security Directorate said overnight that its forces had uncovered several Grad rockets hidden in the village of al-Harah in the southern Daraa province, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the Israeli border.

The statement does not identify who is behind the cache.

According to the statement, security forces arrived at the scene and “took the necessary measures to ensure the safety of residents.” Footage released by the authorities shows the rockets being seized.

استجابةً لبلاغ أحد أصحاب الأراضي الزراعية،تمكنت دوريات قوى الأمن الداخلي من ضبط عدد من صواريخ غراد كانت مخبأة في سهول بلدة الحارة بريف محافظة درعابعد توجهها الفوري إلى الموقع واتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة لتأمينها حفاظاً على سلامة المواطنين#وزارة_الداخلية_السورية #قوى_الأمن_الداخلي pic.twitter.com/68ZxQWWvSd

— قوى الامن الداخلي (@ISFMOISY) August 3, 2026

In blow to PM and current MKs, Likud court rules sitting lawmakers can’t run for district spots

A person votes at a polling station during the Likud party internal vote in Jerusalem, July 27, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The ruling Likud party’s top court overturns a measure letting sitting and former Knesset members, ministers and deputy ministers compete for slots reserved for districts in the upcoming August 17 primaries, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to satisfy his lawmakers by giving them a greater chance at political survival.

For decades, Likud’s reserved spots for districts have only been available for new MKs, acting as a diversifying tool that gives chances for new figures to make it into the Knesset.

But amid opinion polls that consistently show Likud getting around 22-24 seats in the October 27 election, significantly down from its current 32, Netanyahu had heavily campaigned for the Likud Central Committee to approve a change letting current and former lawmakers — and ministers and deputy ministers — compete for those spots.

In the vote last week, the measure was passed with just a five-vote margin after more than 3,400 members voted. Other measures changing the primaries procedures and granting Netanyahu an unprecedented eight reserved slots in the top 29 places passed with a much wider margin.

But party activists immediately petitioned the Likud court against the districts result, demanding a revote.

Court chief Michael Kleiner rules overnight that the tiny margin fails to convince that the Central Committee indeed wished to change the decades-old practice.

“MKs competing for the districts contradicts the [Likud] constitution since it harms the value of equality,” Kleiner rules, adding that the district slots “have always been a protected space that enabled new leadership to sprout on fair conditions… and that started the careers of most [current] Likud ministers.”

The decision means the current Likud MKs, ministers and deputy ministers have to compete for the non-district, non-reserved spots, which means many of them will almost certainly fail to enter the next Knesset.

The district slots are the 27th spot on the party slate — reserved for the Jerusalem, West Bank and Shfela districts — as well as the 28th, reserved for the Tel Aviv and Dan districts, the 30th, reserved for the Galilee and valleys districts, and the 31st, reserved for the Negev district.

Those slots are realistic assuming Likud is part of the next government, given Israel’s so-called Norwegian Law, which allows ministers and deputy ministers to resign as MKs while guaranteeing they can return to the parliament if they resign.

The court also rules that sitting MKs who want to compete for slots reserved for women or ethnic or religious minorities must resign from the Knesset before the primaries and not use state money for their campaigns.

Reports: Settler extremists torch vehicles in West Bank, graffiti messages against embattled IDF general

Palestinian media reports that settler extremists overnight set several vehicles on fire near a residential building in the area of the villages of Talfit and Jalud, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank.

According to the reports, the settlers spray-painted graffiti reading “Revenge” and “Avi, go home,” apparently referring to Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, who was replaced on live TV on Sunday night by Defense Minister Israel Katz, only to walk this back yesterday.

No injuries were reported.

#فيديو | مستوطنون يهاجمون بناية سكنية ويحرقون مركبات المواطنين خلال اعتداءهم على قريتي تلفيت وجالود جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/7GVLBHM3nw

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) August 4, 2026

صورة| مسـ.tـوطنون يخطون شعارات معادية خلال هجومهم على قرية جالود جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/5ID4J9DZbb

— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) August 4, 2026

Teen stabbed, seriously wounded in Haifa

A 16-year-old was stabbed and seriously wounded in Haifa, according to first responders.

Magen David Adom has evacuated him to a hospital.

Shipping traffic at key Gulf waterways has changed little amid uncertainty over US-Iran talks

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, June 16, 2026. (AP)

Shipping traffic at the key Gulf waterways of Bab el-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz is largely unchanged at the start of the week, shipping data shows, as the progress of talks between the United States and Iran remains ambiguous.

Twenty vessels — 12 tankers and eight bulk carriers — passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Monday, Kpler shipping data shows, steady from the previous day.

Of these 20 crossings, there were a total of 12 exits and eight entries, mostly with their transponders on.

Any progress in US-Iran talks appeared to be uncertain. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that no negotiations with the US were taking place and no meetings were scheduled.

This came after US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was holding off on new attacks on Iran pending ongoing talks to end the war and to settle claims over the control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has obstructed since the beginning of the war in late February.

Traffic remained largely slow at Hormuz, with six vessels —three tankers and three bulk carriers — transiting the strait on Monday, down from seven on the previous day, according to Kpler data.

These six vessels included five entries and one exit, all via the Iranian shipping route.

Some vessels may still be sailing with their transponders turned off, which are not considered in the counts.

The risk of vessel attacks kept shipping sentiment cautious at the key waterways, prompting some Saudi-flagged supertankers to change course in the Gulf of Aden and divert to southern Africa amid threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terror group to target Saudi shipping.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

UK Conservatives select former neo-Nazi activist to run in local election

The UK’s Conservative Party has selected a former neo-Nazi activist convicted of harassing a Jewish lawmaker to run as its candidate in a local election, the Guardian reports.

Joshua Bonehill-Paine has been convicted of multiple crimes. He was convicted in 2014 of assaulting a police officer, according to the report. and the following year he went to jail for more than three years for posting antisemitic material in advance of a neo-Nazi rally.

The year after that, he was also found guilty of harassing Luciana Berger, who is Jewish and was then an MP for the Labour Party, calling her a “rodent” and an “evil money-grabber,” the Guardian reported. He ran a group called the “National British Resistance.”

Bonehill-Paine, who now publishes satirical AI videos, says he has served his time and come clean about his past, but his selection as a candidate drew condemnation from Reform UK, which is to the right of the Conservatives.

Cargo vessel reports being hit by projectile near Oman — UK maritime org

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says it has received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Al Khasab, after a cargo vessel broadcast over VHF channel 16 that it had been hit by an unknown projectile.

Maccabi Tel Aviv ordered to play Europa League soccer game in empty stadium due to fan fireworks

Maccabi fans watch the Europa League opening phase soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Midtjylland in Backa Topola, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The European soccer association UEFA punishes Maccabi Tel Aviv by ordering the Israeli club to play a Europa League home game in an empty stadium after fans lit fireworks at a game last week.

Maccabi hosts CSKA Sofia on Thursday at the same stadium in Batumi, Georgia, where the team beat Sheriff Tiraspol 1-0 last week.

Israeli national and club teams have had to choose neutral countries to host games in UEFA competitions for security reasons since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre launched the Gaza war and conflicts on other fronts.

Maccabi must pay a fine of 40,000 euros ($46,000) and play its next home game “behind closed doors,” UEFA says in an urgent ruling by its appeal panel.

The attendance was 1,012 when Maccabi hosted Moldova’s Sheriff last Thursday in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.

Jews targeted in 70% of all NYC hate crimes in July — NYPD

An NYPD officer at an anti-Israel protest, September 23, 2025. (Luke Tress/ Times of Israel/ File)

Jews were targeted in 70% of all hate crimes in New York City in July, as the number of hate crimes against Jews and other groups continued to increase since New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office at the start of the year.

Since January 1, 2026, when Mamdani took office, overall hate crimes are up 9.4% compared to the same period last year — from 329 last year to 360 this year.

Confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes have increased 8.5% this year, with 205 so far this year compared to 189 over the same period last year.

Jews were targeted in 57% of all hate crimes in the city so far this year, the NYPD says. Jews make up around 10% of the city’s population.

Hate crimes against Asians, Black people, and White people are down this year, while incidents against Hispanic people, Muslims, and crimes motivated by sexual orientation and gender have increased.

Last month, Jews were targeted in 23 confirmed hate crimes, or 70% of the total of 33 incidents in the city, a higher proportion than usual. The figure is 53% higher than in July 2025.

“The work to uproot antisemitism out of this city is one that will continue until we see hate crimes come to an end in the city,” Mamdani says at a press conference.

“I remain deeply concerned and very troubled by the unacceptable spike in all hate crimes, particularly driven by those targeting Jewish New Yorkers,” City Council Speaker Julie Menin says in a statement.

Menin is Jewish and has led efforts to combat antisemitism in the city government.

Shootings, murders and other major crimes such as robberies and assaults are generally down in the city.

US Supreme Court won’t halt $655 million judgment against Palestinians over terror attacks

Members of the Supreme Court sit for a group portrait in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. The Supreme Court justices will take the bench Monday, July 1, 2024, to release their last few opinions of the term, including their most closely watched case: whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declines to halt $655.5 million in damages that Palestinian authorities were ordered to pay plaintiffs in a US civil lawsuit concerning terror attacks that killed and injured Americans in Israel from 2002 to 2004, during the Second Initifada.

Sotomayor denied a request by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to put on hold the judgment while they appeal a lower court’s decision to revive the case years after it had been dismissed.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Americans killed or injured in shooting and bombing attacks in the Jerusalem area.

The Supreme Court last year upheld a federal law that allowed claims like those brought by the plaintiffs in the case.

Sotomayor does not explain her decision and does not refer the case to the entire court. Sotomayor handles emergency matters for cases arising from New York and certain other states.

The Manhattan-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the judgment in March following the Supreme Court’s 9-0 decision in June 2025 to uphold the 2019 law, called the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.

The Palestinian organizations said that enforcing the judgment in the case will cause severe financial harm and destabilize government services in the West Bank, where the PA is already cash-strapped, harming people who live there and jeopardizing regional security.

They said in a written filing that the plaintiffs intend to seek payment from indirect Palestinian tax revenue collected by Israel, a key source of funding for Palestinian government operations. Security, sanitation and school services in the West Bank “are hanging by a thread,” they wrote.

The plaintiffs, in winning the judgment in New York federal court in 2015, alleged that the Palestinian entities were responsible for the incidents from 2002 to 2004.

The 2nd Circuit threw out that verdict in 2016 and ordered that the case be dismissed, concluding that the federal judge in the case did not have jurisdiction over the matter. The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the case in 2018.

Congress then passed the 2019 law to facilitate lawsuits against Palestinian authorities. Under the law, the PLO and PA automatically “consent” to jurisdiction if they conduct certain activities in the United States or make payments to people who attack Americans, which the PA has historically done.

The 2nd Circuit subsequently decided that the 2019 law violated the rights of these Palestinian authorities to due process under the US Constitution. But the Supreme Court overturned that ruling last year.

Following that Supreme Court action, the 2nd Circuit resurrected the judgment for the plaintiffs.

The Palestinian authorities had urged the Supreme Court to halt the payment for now, saying the judgment had long become void and a “nullity.”

“The money judgment at issue became a legal nullity when … appeals were exhausted in 2018,” they said.

‘Twin souls’: Man dies by suicide at grave of close friend murdered at Oct. 7 Nova massacre

Liron Barda (Courtesy)

A close friend of a victim of the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, died by suicide next to her grave on Saturday, further highlighting the ongoing struggles of survivors and friends and families of the onslaught’s victims.

Bar Bechor Asraf, 30, from the Shaarei Tikva settlement, had been a close childhood friend of Liron Barda, 26, who worked as the bartending manager at the rave and refused to leave the site after the terrorists invaded, instead staying behind to care for the wounded.

“They were inseparable. Twin souls,” the family tells the Ynet news site.

On Wednesday last week, Asraf danced and celebrated at his brother Maor’s wedding. His family said there were no signs then of what would follow just three days later.

A day later, his sister Lihi tells Ynet, “He told me how proud he was of me… I didn’t understand why he was saying all that to me.”

On Saturday afternoon, during a family celebration of their brother’s wedding, Lihi says, “Bar asked to go to the pool. We told him we don’t have a subscription, and he said ‘okay.'”

She adds, “When we couldn’t find him, we started to search on foot. We thought, ‘Where could he be?’ and we said we would go to Liron’s grave.”

She continues, “At first I didn’t see him. And then I saw him lying there. I shouted, ‘Bar, get up!’ but only then did I realize what had happened. At first I thought someone had killed him. I didn’t understand what I was seeing.”

בר אסרף, משערי תקווה, שם קץ לחייו בירייה על קברה של חברתו הטובה לירון ברדה שנרצחה בנובה. אמו סיפרה לוואלה שב-7 באוקטובר נסע לחפש אחריה, ומאז התקשה להתמודד עם מותה והתקעקע לזכרה. ״אמרתי לו ׳בר, קום׳. ואז ראיתי שהוא מלא בדם. הוא מת במקום בו הכי רצה להיות״, שחזרה אחותו pic.twitter.com/e3KqOt2Mgz

— אורי סלע Uri Sela (@uri_sela) August 2, 2026

Lihi says Barda’s death had severely affected Bar.

“At first he didn’t sleep for a week, didn’t speak, didn’t eat and didn’t laugh. Later he started to slowly become rehabilitated. He went back to laughing, talking to people, and spreading Liron’s love. He would organize meals for soldiers in her memory. He was a person who always helped others,” she says.

Bar’s mother Bracha says: “Liron had been everything to him. She was his best friend and his therapist. It was important to him to tell her about anything he did. After she was murdered, he would go almost every day to the cemetery.”

While he seemed to heal and was outwardly cheerful most of the time, Bracha says his pain had not abated more than two and a half years after the massacre.

“Two months ago he sat in the living room and cried. I asked him, ‘What happened?’ and he told me: ‘Mom, it’s hard for me without Liron. Nobody can replace her. I miss her.’ He hugged me and cried loudly, in a way I won’t forget.”

She tells Walla, “He died in the place he most wanted to be.”

Board of Peace officials brief US Congress staffers on efforts to disarm Hamas

The exterior of the US Capitol building, March 22, 2024. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP)

A delegation of Board of Peace officials held another briefing for US Congressional staffers of both parties on Monday to update them on the US-led panel’s efforts to advance the disarmament of Hamas.

Board of Peace senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum and security lead Gen. (ret.) Mark Schwartz “emphasized the determination to work with Congress in a bipartisan manner to advance peace, security, governance, and reconstruction in Gaza,” a Board of Peace official says.

National security advisers for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries participated in the briefing.