Israel’s embassy in Berlin submitted an urgent formal diplomatic request today (Thursday) to the leadership of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, demanding an immediate halt to all public funding and contracts with ‘Palestinian’ pastor Mitri Raheb.
Mitri Raheb’s post on X
Raheb, who serves as president of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, sparked international outrage after openly supporting and praising the October 7 massacre in which more than 1,200 people were murdered, including German citizens. In a statement provided to Channel 14, the embassy made clear it views the pastor’s statements and publications with utmost severity. On the day of the massacre itself, Raheb used social media to glorify the terrorist atrocities, writing that “‘Palestinians’ continue to demonstrate new forms of creative resistance.” Days later he continued justifying the mass attacks, claiming “the occupation will continue to provoke resistance” and calling for “decolonization.”
Mitri Raheb with PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas | Screenshot
Despite the shocking statements and open support for terrorism, the local coalition government in Germany—composed of the Green Party and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)—has continued to maintain close cooperation and fund organizations linked to Raheb, completely ignoring the criticism. The Israeli demand has won broad support from Jewish and Christian Zionist organizations worldwide, which have sharply criticized German authorities. John Hagee, president of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), made clear that any body funding Raheb’s Jew-hatred becomes an accomplice to crime, noting this represents a moral stain for Germany.
Meanwhile, the Simon Wiesenthal Center also called on local government officials to wake up, stop turning a blind eye to the slush funds, and act immediately against the displays of Jew-hatred and support for Hamas occurring in their territory. The embassy’s request joins growing criticism of the tolerance shown by some senior officials in Baden-Württemberg toward extremist organizations operating in the state. Among other issues under fire are local representatives who enable the activity of pro-Hamas groups and even maintain sister-city relationships with the terror regime in Tehran. Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish community in Germany are demanding authorities take a firm and uncompromising line, immediately cease channeling funds to those justifying the massacre of Jews, and demonstrate moral integrity.
A suspicious object with a Hamas flag attached was discovered today (Thursday) in an open area near the settlement of Talmon in the Binyamin region of Judea and Samaria. Following the report, police from the Modi’in Illit station were dispatched to the scene along with IDF forces and Border Police bomb disposal teams, who immediately began securing the area.
Bomb disposal experts and security forces are working in the field to examine the item, clear the suspicion, and neutralize any potential danger to area residents and travelers on nearby roads. At the same time, forces are sweeping the area to ensure no additional explosives or suspicious items were placed in the vicinity.
Police said in a statement: “At this stage, Route 463 has been closed to traffic in both directions between Na’ale and the Hadoar Junction. The public should avoid coming to the area and follow instructions from officers in the field.” The public is asked to remain vigilant and use alternative routes until the incident is resolved.
United States President Donald Trump has extended clear and unequivocal public backing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, firmly refuting allegations that Israel’s political leadership received advance warnings on the eve of the October 7 massacre.
Screenshot from PM Netanyahu’s X page
In a wide-ranging, comprehensive interview granted from the Oval Office to TIME magazine, President Trump addressed persistent reports alleging that intelligence officials from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates had cautioned Israel about the planned terror assault. The President rejected the claims, saying he places no credence in those recurring reports.
The Israeli embassy in Berlin demanded on Thursday that the political leadership in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg pull the plug on its funding of the antisemitic Bethlehem-based ‘Palestinian’ pastor Mitri Raheb because he supported the October 7 massacre of over 1,200 people, including German nationals.
Mitri Raheb | photo: Mitri Raheb’s official website
“We view the actions and statements of Pastor Raheb with the utmost severity. Following this information, the Consulate in Munich reached out to Baden-Württemberg, including senior officials in the state administration, to inform them of Pastor Raheb’s publications, statements, and positions, along with our strongest condemnation and a demand to cease all engagement with him immediately,” Israel’s embassy told Channel 14 exclusively on Thursday.
Raheb, who serves as president of Dar al-Kalima University and is a board member of the support association Bethlehem-Akademie – Dar al-Kalima e., wrote on X on 10/7: “The desire for freedom is stronger than the settler colonial state. The ‘Palestinians’ keep showing new forms of creative resistance & resilience. Our heart goes to our people in Gaza & especially our staff & students there. Your prayers, advocacy, & support now are much appreciated.”
Screenshot from Mitri Raheb’s X page
Three days later, Raheb again justified the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust in a second X Post: “Occupation will keep triggering resistance. No one can relinquish people’s quest for freedom. Without justice there will be no peace. It is high time to decolonize ‘Palestine’ so that our people can live in dignity and reach the potential that God has for them.”
The U.S.-based Christians United for Israel (CUFI) – a supporter of Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria and the security of the Jewish state — also expressed outrage about Raheb. John Hagee, founder and Chairman of Christians United for Israel, told Channel 14 that “Any entity that funds Raheb’s Jew hatred is complicit in the same. That there are German public and charitable funds being provided to Raheb is an absolute stain on all associated; Germany knows better.” David Klein, a Swiss Jewish journalist who has previously reported on Raheb’s antisemitism in Switzerland for the outlet Audiatur-Online, highlighted Raheb’s X Post praising the Hamas massacre on 10/7
Screenshot from Mitri Raheb’s X page
Hagee added that “Mr. Raheb’s theological framework is many things, but it is not Christian. One cannot be a follower of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, while simultaneously hating that which God loves, including and especially the Children of Israel. Mr. Raheb and all who wrap their Jew hatred in the banner of Christianity defile both its message and the Messenger.” Channel 14 sent multiple press queries to Raheb.
It is unclear how much money the state of Baden-Württemberg provides to Raheb, the university, and his affiliated organizations. The Green Party and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) coalition government run by Cem Özdemir, a Green Party politician of Turkish origin, refused to answer numerous Channel 14 press queries.
In 2017, the former Green Party president of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, who at one time embraced the murderous philosophy of Maoism, personally delivered i a check for €30,000 ($32,000) to Raheb. Despite the state government’s public declaration of “No Place for Antisemitism” on its website and its condemnation of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) campaign in the new CDU-Green coalition agreement, the Green Party-led government continues to fund hardcore antisemitism, according to its critics.
Dar Al-Kalima complex | photo: Wikipedia
According to the state’s agreement between the CDU and the Green Party, cooperation with “our partners on the ground in the Bethlehem area in the ‘Palestinian’ territories” will continue. This refers to Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. Its president is Raheb. Documented for years. On the website of the support association Bethlehem-Akademie – Dar al-Kalima e. V., dated 4 February 2026, it states: “To deepen and expand cooperation in the field of dual education, the head of the ‘International Cooperation Projects’ unit of the ZSL Baden-Württemberg visited Dar al-Kalima University today.” Mitri Raheb is a board member of the support association Bethlehem-Akademie – Dar al-Kalima e. V., which has been criticized as anti-Israel.The press spokesperson of the support association Bethlehem-Akademie – Dar al-Kalima e. V., Christiane Wacker, did not respond to a Channel 14 press query.
Raheb, who studied in Germany, advocates boycott measures against Israel and an extremist form of Christian liberation theology that seeks to deny Jewish sovereignty in Israel. Writing for Berlin daily BZ in 2012, the popular columnist Gunnar Schupelius slammed Raheb’s hostility to Israel. Based on his meeting with Raheb in Bethlehem, Schupelius observed how he met a pastor who delivered a “one-hour tirade against Israel.” His “wild look and tone could not be separated from hate. His words corresponded to half-truths or no truths at all.”
The Lutheran church in Bethlehem | photo: Wikipedia
Schupelius wrote that Raheb “compared Israel’s security wall between Israel and West Jordan with the Berlin Wall. He did not mention that many children, women, and men were murdered in Israel before the wall was built.” He continued that Raheb “compared Israel with the racist state of South Africa during the time of apartheid.”Schupelius wrote, “No, this pastor does not belong to those who work with Israel for peace.”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told Channel 14 that Cem Özdemir and interior minister Manuel Hagel need “to take action now and stop being bean counters.” Cooper said the time” for sympathetic words is over.” He noted Raheb “celebrated the mass murder of Jews” and that his actions will embolden “other antisemites to celebrate the mass murder of Jews because nothing will happen to them.”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper: Photo: Simon Wiesenthal Center
The city of Stuttgart and its controversial mayor Frank Nopper (CDU) provide a link on its city website that promotes a demonstration by the ‘Palestine’ Committee Stuttgart against Israel on 10/7 in the heart of Stuttgart. The antisemitic group called it a protest “against the day of genocide.” Nopper and the anti-Israel civil servant Michael Blume, who is tasked with fighting antisemitism in the state, have been under intense fire for enabling the pro-Hamas group to raise funds on the city’s website and protest on 10/7. The governor of the state, Özdemir, has refused to designate the ‘Palestine’ Committee Stuttgart a terrorist organization.
Two German courts in Hamburg ruled that Blume can be termed antisemitic. Israel’s government previously criticized Blume. Tal Heinrich, former Israeli government spokeswoman, sharply criticized Blume in 2024, stating, “One of the very first statements of the PM in the beginning of the war – right after October 7 – underscored that this is a time for moral clarity. Comments that we have seen from Mr. Blume in the past about the Israeli-‘Palestinian’ conflict and throughout this war demonstrate that he often lacks moral clarity.” The high tolerance for pro-Hamas, pro-Iranian regime, pro-Hamas antisemitic activities by Blume and the political leadership in Baden-Württemberg, according to critics, has led the state to turn a blind eye to solutions to rope in the unfolding lethal antisemitism and jihadism.
Video: social media via ‘Russia Today’ X page
While the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Baden-Württemberg (domestic intelligence agency) has designated the ‘Palestine’ Committee Stuttgart as an organization with “secular pro-‘Palestinian’ extremist endeavors,” Governor Özdemir declined to ban the pro-Hamas entity. The intelligence agency added in its report: “The monitoring mandate for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution arises from the activities of the endeavors and their members, which are directed against the idea of international understanding and the peaceful coexistence of peoples. In addition, they endanger Germany’s foreign interests.” There are precedents of other German states banning antisemitic pro-‘Palestinian’ organizations. On August 18, the Hessian Ministry of the Interior outlawed the antisemitic association ‘Palästina’ e. V.
According to the Hessian announcement on the ban of Palästina e. V., the organization’s purpose is directed “against the constitutional order and against the idea of international understanding.”
Hesse’s Interior Minister Roman Poseck said: “With the ban of the association ‘Palästina e. V.,’ Hesse is sending a clear signal for the resolute action of the rule of law and against the rise of antisemitism.”The criteria that led to the ban of ‘Palästina’ e. V. would also justify a ban of the ‘Palestine’ Committee Stuttgart. A ban of the ‘Palestine’ Committee Stuttgart is only a question of political will.
Mitri Raheb with Mahmoud Abbas | photo: Mitri Raheb’s official website
German Jews in Baden-Württemberg and across Germany have urged the state to fire Blume because of his verbal attack on German Jews, Israel, and his role in stoking antisemitism.
After Blume blamed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for causing the increase in antisemitism in Europe and Germany because the Prime Minister was leading a self-defense war against Hamas and other pro-Iranian regime movements, Roman Haller, a Holocaust survivor who lives in Munich and is the former director of the Jewish Claims Conference, published an open letter to Commissioner Blume: “Your recent statement regarding the attribution of antisemitism is outrageous and leaves me speechless as a Holocaust survivor who is used to some things. Your statement not only counteracts the constant assurances of the State of Israel’s right to defend itself, but also encourages the very people against whom you — especially as an antisemitism commissioner — should fight. Because what you are saying is pure antisemitism.”
Roman Haller | photo: the Claims Conference organization
Haller wrote that Blume was in fact embracing a frequently used antisemitic accusation by implying that Jews have only themselves to blame. “With your statements, you are not only depriving Israel of the right to defend itself, but you are also pandering to those who want to wipe out Israel. I expect a clear apology from you. However, if you stick with your unspeakable accusations, you will be unacceptable [as part of] the fight against antisemitism.”
Baden-Württemberg is also the only German state that allows a city partnership with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The university city of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg retains its twin city partnership with the Iranian regime in Isfahan. The largely anti-Israel mayor of Freiburg, Martin Horn, has refused to sever ties with the regime in Isfahan. Isfahan is one of the principal locations from which rockets were fired into Israel. Iranian dissidents and German Jews have urged Freiburg to end its partnership with the regime in Iran.
For the first time since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the rise of Ahmed al-Sharaa to power in Damascus, representatives of the new Syrian government met with senior Hezbollah commanders for clandestine negotiations in Turkey, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing six officials familiar with the discussions.
According to the report, the secret conclave was convened last month under the auspices of Turkey’s national intelligence and security services, the primary regional patron of the al-Sharaa administration. The delegations included senior representatives from Syria’s foreign and intelligence ministries alongside high-ranking Hezbollah officials, seeking to defuse escalating friction that erupted following the regime change in Damascus.
Erdogan and al-Sharaa meeting in Ankara | Photo: Reuters
The summit marks an extraordinary operational shift: for more than a decade, al-Sharaa’s forces waged a bloody civil war against Hezbollah, while the Lebanese Shiite terror militia served as a vital ground pillar propping up Assad’s dictatorship. Since al-Sharaa assumed power in December 2024, relations between Damascus and Hezbollah have remained openly adversarial, with the new Syrian government repeatedly accusing the militia of continuing illicit arms smuggling across the Lebanese border.
According to Reuters, the Syrian delegation demanded that Hezbollah immediately cease weapons smuggling into Syrian sovereign territory and dismantle active sleeper cells, particularly throughout southern Syria adjacent to the Israeli border. In response, Hezbollah pledged not to meddle in internal Syrian domestic affairs, though it stopped short of directly acceding to Damascus’s security demands. While both sides reported incremental headway on core border security files, the talks concluded without a signed agreement. Sources close to the negotiations said positions moved closer, but core strategic disputes remain unresolved.
Hezbollah terrorists | Photo: Shutterstock
Noticeably barred from the negotiating table was Iran, Hezbollah’s primary state sponsor. According to sources, while Tehran was kept aware of the meeting’s convening, it was pointedly denied an invitation. A Lebanese security source told Reuters that Tehran expressed deep frustration at being sidelined from direct talks, noting that al-Sharaa continues to rebuff direct diplomatic and security engagement with the Iranian regime. The same source emphasized that Iranian chagrin was a primary obstacle to a formal accord and prevented any official public announcement of the talks.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the exact venue inside Turkey or confirm whether additional meetings had occurred, though sources said the Turkish-mediated channel began roughly two months ago. The diplomatic outreach underscores Turkey’s concerted push to project regional hegemony across post-Assad Syria and consolidate its patron status over the al-Sharaa regime—a geopolitical trend continuing to generate intense scrutiny in Jerusalem.
Israeli security forces carried out a precision strike on Wednesday in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip, eliminating terrorist Bilal Mahmoud Suleiman Samiri from the rocket array of ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad’s (‘PIJ’) Khan Yunis Brigade. The operation was carried out to immediately neutralize an emerging threat posed by the operative to IDF forces conducting missions in the sector.
Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Samiri worked persistently to advance terror plots while systematically violating the established ceasefire. Among his activities, Samiri planned, coordinated, and executed ambushes against IDF combat troops operating within the perimeter of the Yellow Line, seeking to disrupt and sabotage operational activities conducted by Israeli forces across the Strip.
The military emphasized that Southern Command forces remain deployed throughout the operational sector in strict accordance with existing agreements, maintaining high readiness and situational alertness. Defense officials reiterated that Israeli forces will continue to act decisively at all times and across all locations to neutralize any immediate threat and ensure the safety of combat troops and the security of the State of Israel.
The commercial air corridor connecting Israel and Dubai is poised to be restructured within the next 24 hours. Israeli air carriers El Al, Arkia, and Israir are actively preparing to launch passenger flights to Dubai as early as Friday, with the resumption currently awaiting final operational clearances from Israeli security authorities. Once greenlit, the domestic carriers will provide alternative routes for thousands of Israelis stranded in Dubai or travelers who planned to transit through the Emirati hub.
Israir | Photo: PR
The operational mobilization follows the abrupt freeze of flydubai’s Israeli services in the aftermath of the severe crisis aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The airline previously announced that the flight experienced a violent cockpit altercation, prompting an emergency diversion to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where all passengers and crew disembarked safely before Israeli travelers were repatriated.
A core focal point of the ongoing Israeli security review centers on crew staffing protocols. Intelligence and aviation authorities are investigating whether staffing the flight deck with an Omani national—a jurisdiction with no formal diplomatic ties to Israel—breached the baseline security understandings and bilateral agreements that originally authorized flydubai’s commercial operations into Tel Aviv.
Photo: Shai Yehezkel
After the attack, flydubai halted operations for an initial six-day period pending the multi-agency inquiry. The mass cancellations created an acute bottleneck for thousands of Israeli passengers, as flydubai had served as the dominant carrier on the route.
To bridge the vacuum, El Al, Arkia, and Israir confirmed readiness to operate direct rotations, pending mandatory Shin Bet and aviation security clearances. The airlines are structuring operational rosters to launch services as early as Friday. If approved, travelers will be able to fly with Israeli carriers rather than waiting out flydubai’s operational freeze. Exact schedules, daily flight frequencies, and seat capacities will be established strictly in coordination with defense guidelines.
El Al aircraft | Photo: Avshalom Sassoni, Flash90
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways continues to operate scheduled flights to Israel, maintaining an alternative air link from the UAE. However, following the trauma aboard Flight FZ1073, passenger demand is shifting markedly toward Israeli airlines offering sovereign security details.
Under aviation consumer regulations, passengers holding canceled flydubai tickets are entitled to a full monetary refund via their original payment method, unless they opt for future travel vouchers. For the replacement Israeli flights, each carrier will independently post its own pricing and schedule availability on digital booking platforms. Travelers will pay ticket costs out of pocket, with no direct state subsidies involved.
Photo: Yossi Aloni, Flash90
Aviation officials caution that at this juncture, operations remain in the preparation phase. Direct authorization from Israeli defense agencies remains the indispensable prerequisite before any carrier takes off, as multi-front inquiries continue into the security failure that led to the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Israel’s Political-Security Cabinet will convene this Sunday for a special high-level consultation in response to a sharp rise in concrete security alerts, officials disclosed on Thursday. The urgent session comes directly in the shadow of the averted airborne terror attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 en route to Tel Aviv earlier this week, which was thwarted inside the cockpit at the final moment.
Photo: Yossi Aloni, Flash90
In an interview broadcast overnight on CNN, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the escalating wave of intelligence warnings: “We had a substantial volume of intelligence flowing in indicating that Iran’s proxies, specifically Hezbollah and Hamas, are planning attacks against Israel and Israeli citizens abroad.”
Defense establishment sources underscored that the warnings cited by the Prime Minister align with strategic assessments indicating that regional terror networks will attempt to execute high-profile spectacle attacks in the immediate term, exploiting tensions ahead of the upcoming Israeli Knesset elections. Security chiefs are particularly alarmed by efforts mounted by Tehran and its regional network to destabilize the arena through coordinated attacks against Israeli and Jewish assets overseas, as well as escalated operations in Judea and Samaria.
Photo: Itai Beit-On / GPO
Against the backdrop of the impending Cabinet gathering, the multinational intelligence investigation into the flydubai crisis continues to gain momentum. As disclosed by the Prime Minister overnight, the first officer suspected of attempting a 9/11-style suicide strike is currently undergoing intensive interrogation on Saudi territory, where the Boeing 737 carried out an emergency diversion to Tabuk after transponder emergency code 7500 was transmitted from the cockpit.
According to Netanyahu, the suspect is slated for imminent transfer to Emirati custody, where Israeli intelligence will participate in the inquiry. “I spoke with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and he immediately agreed that Israel would join the investigation. We will find out very soon whether Iran had a hand in this,” Netanyahu declared. The core focus of the inquiry remains whether the Omani co-pilot acted as a lone wolf or as an asset recruited, trained, and directed by a foreign state apparatus, with primary suspicion centering on Iranian operational sponsorship.
The IDF released new operational figures on Thursday morning summarizing Israeli Air Force (IAF) activity over the past month, revealing that aircraft struck more than 500 terror targets across the security sectors in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The military underscored that the relentless air campaign was conducted as part of an ongoing operational effort to remove immediate threats and provide continuous close air support to maneuver forces deployed across all combat arenas.
Strike in Lebanon | Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s unit
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s statement, the IAF—guided by precise targeting directives from Regional Commands and the Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman)—struck more than 370 Hezbollah terror targets across southern Lebanon. Concurrently, fighter aircraft and armed drones hit over 140 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
Military officials reported that targets struck within the Gaza Strip included three Hamas brigade-level commanders and field terrorists identified as advancing imminent attacks against IDF ground troops. These operative squads actively took part in the October 7 border breach and kidnappings, and terrorists identified as having guarded Israeli hostages. The air campaign also demolished extensive ammunition depots, command centers, and tactical terror infrastructure.
Hamas terrorists | Photo: Said Muhammad, Flash 90
The IDF emphasized that the Israeli Air Force maintains around-the-clock air operations across all strategic arenas—fulfilling both offensive deep-strike missions and air defense intercept tasks—to degrade enemy capabilities, neutralize border threats, and deliver uninterrupted aerial protection to frontline troops operating on the ground.
Following reports that Israeli air carriers are preparing rescue operations in the wake of flydubai’s decision to suspend all flights to Israel for six days, El Al announced on Thursday that it is organizing a dedicated repatriation mechanism to bring stranded Israelis home. The mass cancellations by the Emirati carrier follow the severe security breach aboard Flight FZ1073, during which a violent struggle erupted in the cockpit, forcing an emergency diversion to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
El Al | Photo: Yossi Aloni, Flash90
All flydubai operations along the Israel route remain frozen pending the conclusion of the multinational security inquiry. Investigators are reviewing the full circumstances of the attack, the identity, vetting, and nationality of the Omani first officer, as well as contractual frameworks and regulatory restrictions governing the carrier’s permits to fly into Israeli airspace.
With flydubai flights halted, thousands of Israelis currently in Dubai face travel disruptions and are seeking alternative routes home. In response, El Al is organizing special relief flights, with the operation contingent on final clearance from Israeli security agencies. Subject to these approvals, the first repatriation flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv is scheduled to depart as early as Friday.
Photo: Shutterstock
Tickets for the rescue flights will be sold at a fixed price of $249 for a “Lite” fare, which includes one carry-on bag. Once regulatory and security clearances are secured, ticket sales will open directly via El Al’s website and authorized travel agencies. Officials emphasized that this flat rate was established specifically for the emergency repatriation effort and does not reflect standard commercial pricing on the route.
Travelers should also note that aircraft departing Tel Aviv for Dubai will fly empty ferry flights solely to position the planes for passenger pickup in the UAE and transport waiting Israelis back to Ben Gurion Airport.
El Al aircraft, archive | Photo: Shutterstock
El Al stated that it continues to examine options to expand flight capacity based on operational feasibility and security clearances. The objective is to repatriate as many stranded Israelis as possible, with the final operational volume dictated by defense directives. El Al will update full scheduling details and booking availability continuously on its official website as the investigation into the flydubai incident proceeds.
