Following an investigative exposé aired on Channel 14 News and the nationwide public outrage that ensued, the municipal bus stop sign in the local council of Jatt bearing the name of arch-murderer Yasser Arafat has been officially taken down. Member of Knesset Yitzhak Kroizer (Otzma Yehudit), Chairman of the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, arrived on-site in person to verify that the offensive signs were completely removed.
Photo: None
The scandal was initially uncovered and broadcast on Channel 14’s “Afternoon Diary” (Yoman Tzohorayim), sparking widespread backlash. It emerged that the bus station in the heart of the Sharon plain council was established while commemorating Arafat’s name—in direct contravention of an explicit 2017 state directive prohibiting his memorialization across Israeli public spaces, and completely contradicting official statutory street and transit registries.
After exposing the administrative failure, MK Kroizer issued an uncompromising ultimatum to regional authorities, pledging to act decisively to eradicate the disgrace. Following the expiration of the designated timeframe, Kroizer conducted an oversight inspection on the ground to personally confirm that the signs had been dismantled and that the commemoration of the terrorist leader was eliminated from central Israel. During his visit to the site, MK Kroizer affirmed his uncompromising stance: “We will not allow the commemoration of terrorists and mass-murderers in any corner of the State of Israel.” The removal of the sign closes the loop on a provocative incident that provoked profound public condemnation across Israeli society.
A suspect vehicle that was observed circling the Ariel junction area multiple times over the past two days failed to stop for inspection at the Salfit access checkpoint, prompting a security guard to open fire.
The guard fired at the vehicle’s tires, but the driver continued driving and was seen entering Salfit. No casualties have been reported.
The incident is being treated as a potential security event in Samaria, the biblical name for northern Samaria.
The Jerusalem District Court has ordered Bank Leumi to foreclose on UNRWA’s (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) bank account and transfer about NIS 11 million to the Jerusalem Municipality to satisfy accumulated municipal property tax debts. Judge Haya Zandberg rejected the UN agency’s claims of diplomatic immunity, ruling that after the 1967 bilateral exchange of notes between Israel and UNRWA expired, the agency’s legal immunity had lapsed as well.
ניצחון לעיריית ירושלים | צילום: יונתן זינדל, פלאש 90
At the center of the dispute are two extensive compounds UNRWA has maintained in Jerusalem for decades: an office and logistics warehouse complex in the Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood and an educational campus in Tsur Baher. Over the years, property tax assessments were regularly sent to the agency, but UNRWA received full exemptions under its recognized diplomatic status.
The legal saga commenced in February 2024, when Bank Leumi froze UNRWA’s corporate account over severe compliance red flags that the funds could be utilized for terror financing. The UN agency took no legal recourse to lift the freeze.
Subsequently, after historic Knesset legislation mandated the cessation of all UNRWA activities within Israeli territory, the Jerusalem Municipality initiated formal collection proceedings against the agency for unpaid property taxes for 2024 and 2025. Because UNRWA failed to file an objection, administrative appeal, or court petition against the tax assessments, the levies became legally final and binding under Israeli administrative law.
אונר”א | צילום: שאטרסטוק
In August 2025, the agency received an administrative foreclosure order on its bank account for a total delinquent balance of NIS 11,056,426.94. After the order, Bank Leumi approached the District Court for guidance on how to dispose of the restricted funds held in the account.
In her detailed decision, Judge Zandberg upheld the Jerusalem Municipality’s arguments, determining that UNRWA cannot challenge the merits of municipal tax assessments in an interpleader proceeding initiated by the bank after failing to pursue statutory appeal channels. The court further emphasized that informal diplomatic letters addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot substitute for formal administrative appeals or judicial filings.
בנק לאומי | צילום: שאטרסטוק, יונתן סינדל, פלאש 90
A pivotal issue concerned UNRWA’s claim to institutional immunity. The court held that UNRWA’s special legal protections derived exclusively from the provisional 1967 “Exchange of Notes” between Israel and the organization. With the statutory termination of that accord pursuant to Knesset law on October 7, 2024, the associated immunity ceased to exist. The judge firmly rejected UNRWA’s defense that it retains automatic, blanket legal immunity solely by virtue of being an auxiliary organ of the United Nations.
Furthermore, the ruling established that Israel’s international commitments do not override explicit primary legislation passed by the Knesset. The court also observed that the Attorney General chose not to intervene in the proceedings or plead state-sanctioned immunity on the agency’s behalf.
גלי בהרב מאירה | צילום: יונתן זידנל, פלאש 90
Regarding the original compliance grounds that prompted the account freeze, the court clarified that terror-financing concerns do not bar the judicial collection of municipal tax debts. Judge Zandberg noted there is no plausible risk that satisfying municipal debts transfers funds into UNRWA’s operational hands, adding that the formal prohibition of its operations inside Israel does not exempt the organization from paying for public municipal services it consumed.
Concurrently, the court ordered Bank Leumi to formally register the foreclosure and transfer the funds directly to the Jerusalem Municipality under the Tax Ordinance (Collection).
Shai Glick, CEO of human rights organization “Btsalmo,” welcomed the landmark decision: “This is a paramount legal and moral victory for the State of Israel and the residents of Jerusalem. For years, UNRWA enjoyed unjustified immunity while its personnel and facilities were implicated in terror activities and incitement against Israel.”
Glick added: “The court has made it unequivocally clear: the party on the Israeli taxpayer’s dime is over. The laws of the state apply equally to UNRWA, and an organization that harbors terror ties will receive neither discounts nor immunity.”
Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party chairman Bezalel Smotrich responded sharply Wednesday to Democrats party leader Yair Golan, who opposed his plan to replicate the resettlement revolution from Judea and Samaria in the Negev and Galilee.
Yair Golan | Photo: Haim Goldberg, Flash90
Golan said earlier that Smotrich intends to operate in the Galilee the same way he operated in Judea and Samaria—remarks interpreted as criticism of the government’s policy to strengthen Jewish settlement in the north.
Smotrich shot back: “Yair, I recognize that you’re not really connecting with the processes of Judaizing the Galilee. No problem, it will happen anyway when we win. This time we can’t gamble on the Galilee. Vote Religious Zionism!”
One of the key election issues: resettling in the Negev and the Galilee | Photo: Yonatan Sindel, Flash90
People close to Smotrich say this is one of the party’s central goals in the upcoming elections. According to them, after the moves he led in Judea and Samaria—which included regularizing dozens of communities, extensive infrastructure investments, and accelerated construction—the next target is strengthening Jewish presence in the Negev and Galilee.
Those around the minister also claim he intends to restore governance and strengthen the Jewish majority in these areas, against the backdrop of what they describe as illegal takeover and the state’s retreat over the years.
Israeli forces eliminated Mu’min Ahmad Salama Ay, a terrorist within the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization who was directly involved in holding Israeli hostages captive during the war, in an airstrike in Gaza City on Tuesday.
Photo: IDF Spokesperson
According to a formal statement released by the IDF Spokesperson, the targeted operative played an active role in detaining and guarding hostages within the Gaza City sector. In addition to his role in holding captives, he served as a key operative and operational assistant to senior commanders within Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade.
The military further disclosed that in recent weeks, the terrorist had been actively working to rehabilitate the organization’s combat capabilities and advance new terror schemes targeting Israeli forces and civilians, in systematic violation of the ceasefire understandings. Following these hostile activities, he was eliminated in an aerial strike to remove the immediate operational threat.
Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Shutterstock
The IDF stressed that Southern Command forces remain actively deployed in the sector in accordance with operational arrangements, and will continue to take immediate kinetic action to neutralize any emerging threats to the State of Israel.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog landed in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, on Wednesday to begin a significant 36-hour diplomatic visit. The trip unfolds against the backdrop of the mounting strategic importance of the relationship between Israel and the Shiite-majority nation bordering Iran, aimed at bolstering bilateral cooperation across security, diplomatic, and commercial spheres.
Photo: Maayan Toaff / GPO
During the visit, President Herzog is scheduled to participate in the CICA Summit (Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia). This major international forum fosters multilateral cooperation and confidence among Asian states. In addition, the president will hold an essential diplomatic meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during which the two leaders will discuss deepening strategic and security alignment between Jerusalem and Baku.
A central highlight of the trip will be President Herzog’s formal address before the summit’s plenary session alongside senior world leaders and foreign dignitaries, followed by a series of bilateral diplomatic meetings with participating heads of state. President Herzog will conclude his official itinerary with a community gathering alongside senior leaders of Azerbaijan’s local Jewish community.
The Knesset Finance Committee approved a series of budget transfers for the 2026 state budget on Wednesday. The transfers, approved by the Arrangements Committee, include significant additions to the Defense, Transportation, Justice, and Prime Minister’s Office budgets.
Under the changes, 81 million shekels (~$26 million) will be transferred from the Defense Ministry budget to civilian emergency expenses. The sum is earmarked to implement a government decision to purchase and deploy protective shelters across the country, part of lessons learned following Operation Lion’s Roar. Additionally, an internal shift of about 67 million shekels (~$22 million) was approved within the Prime Minister’s Office, to be directed to funding the headquarters for artificial intelligence.
In infrastructure and transportation, the committee approved a transfer of 30 million shekels (~$10 million) and authorization to commit about 852 million shekels (~$277 million) for development operations by the Israel Land Authority. This budget will also be used for long-term land rehabilitation projects, including treatment of former industrial sites. Another 30 million shekels will be allocated to the National Road Safety Program.
The Justice Ministry will receive an additional 74 million shekels (~$24 million) through internal changes. The funding is intended, among other things, to adjust the budget for the government’s legal representation abroad, given the increased activity of the Universal Jurisdiction Unit since the outbreak of the Iron Swords War. The budget for the Public Defender’s Office and legal aid will also be adjusted to match the pace of implementation.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has received assurances from the United States that the American administration will not give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a green light to expand the security zone in southern Lebanon, the pro-Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported, citing a Lebanese political source directly involved in negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
Photo: Chaim Goldberg, Flash 90
According to the report, Aoun is maintaining contacts with senior American officials to pressure Netanyahu and prevent him from expanding the security zone. The source said Lebanon fears the prime minister may exploit such a move as political leverage ahead of Knesset elections in an attempt to strengthen his chances of winning. The source added that the American assurances were given on condition that Hezbollah refrain from actions that would provide Israel with a pretext to expand its military operations toward the ridges between the Tuffah area and Jebel al-Rihan in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah | Photo: Shutterstock
Meanwhile, according to the source, the terror organization Hezbollah conveyed a message to the Lebanese president through Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, stating that the organization remains committed to the ceasefire and is refraining “from responding to Israeli attacks.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly appointed a new commander to its notorious Unit 840, the covert Quds Force organization linked to assassination plots targeting Israelis, American officials and opponents of the Iranian regime around the world. The unit has also been renamed Unit 600 following the exposure of its organizational structure and operatives.
Quds Force terrorists | Photo: Shutterstock
According to a Tuesday report by the anti-regime outlet Iran International, Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani recently appointed 64-year-old Mojtaba Haq-Lesan to lead the organization. Haq-Lesan previously served as the unit’s intelligence chief. His predecessor, Yazdan Mir, also known by the alias “Haj Asghar Bagheri,” was killed in May during a strike attributed to Israel. Two sources close to the Quds Force told Iran International that the IRGC decided to rename Unit 840 after details of its command structure and personnel became public. According to those sources, the change was intended to allow the organization to continue operating under a new administrative framework.
IDF illustration of Unit 840’s structure | Image: IDF
Sources cited by Iran International claimed that the appointment of veteran personnel reflects a leadership crisis within the Quds Force following the killing or exposure of senior commanders. According to the report, doubts have also emerged within the organization over whether the IRGC can continue operating the unit effectively. Unit 840 was reportedly established during the first half of the 2010s on the orders of Qassem Soleimani, then commander of the Quds Force. It emerged from Unit 400, a special operations organization that maintained close ties with Hezbollah.
Qasem Soleimani. Photo: Arab networks.
Over the years, Unit 840 has been linked to plots against senior American officials, Israeli citizens and opponents of the Iranian regime.
In 2022, the US Department of Justice announced that an IRGC member had plotted to assassinate John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump. According to the report, the operation was directed by Mohammad-Reza Ansari, now identified as Unit 600’s deputy commander. Additional reports described foiled assassination plots targeting former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and two Israeli businessmen.
Quds terrorists | Photo: Shutterstock
The organization also allegedly recruited criminals, drug smugglers and local organized crime networks to carry out operations across Europe and the Middle East. Among the reported plots were attempts to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany, Sweden and Denmark, as well as a plan to target two Iran International journalists in Britain. The reported restructuring suggests that despite repeated intelligence exposures and operations against its personnel, the Quds Force is seeking to maintain its overseas covert capabilities under a new name and leadership.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a special message on social media today (Wednesday), marking one year since all hostages, both living and deceased, were returned to Israel. Netanyahu emphasized the magnitude of the achievement, which was accomplished despite widespread doubts throughout the process.
Photo: Arik Marmor, Flash90
In his message, the prime minister wrote: “Yesterday we marked one year since the release of all our hostages, the living and the deceased alike.” He stressed that many did not believe Israel would succeed in achieving the goal, which at the time seemed absolutely impossible to accomplish.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu made clear that his government believed it was possible to bring them all back. “Many did not believe we would achieve this goal—but we believed,” he wrote. He concluded by attributing the historic success to the fighters: “With the courage and resourcefulness of our soldiers, we achieved the goal. We brought them all home.”
