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The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happened.
US lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign after rupture with Trump
US Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime ally of Donald Trump who recently had a dramatic falling out with the president, says she is resigning from the House of Representatives effective January 5.
“Loyalty should be a two way street” while Congress “has mostly been sidelined” under the Trump administration, Greene posts in a lengthy resignation statement on social media.
My official statement. pic.twitter.com/x48zEugmPV
— Marjorie Taylor Greene ???????? (@mtgreenee) November 22, 2025
In a video posted online, the 51-year-old Republican congresswoman from Georgia elected in 2020 says she has “always been despised in Washington DC and never fit in.”
Greene says she does not want her supporters and family to endure “a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the president we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while Republicans will likely lose the midterms.
“I will be resigning from office with my last day being January 5, 2026,” she says.
Greene had previously been a standard-bearer of Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, but the president announced he was withdrawing all support for “‘Wacky’ Marjorie” on November 7.
He followed up again the next morning with multiple posts on his Truth Social platform attacking Greene as a “lightweight” and even a “traitor” to the Republican Party.
The former key political ally to Trump subsequently said she was being targeted by a wave of threats.
The shock move by Greene is the clearest sign yet of a growing split in MAGA world, in churn over strong Democratic victories in this month’s off-year elections, and Trump’s chummy White House meeting earlier Friday with leftist mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
The movement has been particularly riven over Trump’s flip-flop on the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose web of contacts allegedly included several American elites.
“Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I fought for,” Greene says.
Amid her feud with Trump, Greene suggested on Sunday that Israel was pressuring the White House not to release the full files on Epstein.
In an interview on CNN, Greene was asked about a post on X a day earlier in which she wrote: “It really makes you wonder what is in those files and who and what country is putting so much pressure on him?” alongside a graphic boasting that she had received zero campaign funds from the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby.
“I think it’s the question that many Americans are asking, especially when we saw information recently come out in these e-mails that the Oversight Committee that I serve on has released,” Greene responded during the interview, about the growing focus on the alleged sex trafficker, who died of suicide in prison in 2019.
“And we saw Jeffrey Epstein with ties to Ehud Barak. We saw him making business deals with them, also business deals that involved the Israeli government, and seems to have led into their intel agencies. And I think the right question to ask is, was Jeffrey Epstein working for Israel?” the congresswoman continued.
There is no substantial evidence of any ties between Epstein and Israeli intelligence. Allegations that Epstein has ties to the Mossad have circulated for years based on an array of disparate connections: The fact that he was Jewish; his visits to Israel, among many other countries; and his friendship with former prime minister Ehud Barak, one of many high-profile figures he associated with, including Trump himself.
Spanish fascists march in Madrid after Franco death anniversary
Demonstrators wave flags and perform the fascist salute during a demonstration called by Falange Espanola de las JONS fascist party in front of the headquarters of the ruling Socialist party in Madrid, on November 21, 2025 (Oscar DEL POZO / AFP)
Hundreds of Spanish fascists marched through Madrid this evening, a day after the country marked the 50th anniversary of divisive right-wing former dictator Francisco Franco’s death.
The Falange — an organization that sees itself as the successor to defunct fascist movements that helped bring Franco to power in a devastating 1936-1939 civil war — protested against what it calls democratic Spain’s 1978 constitutional “regime.”
Making fascist salutes and carrying Franco-era national flags, the Falange paid tribute to the movement’s founder Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, whose November 20 death anniversary coincides with Franco’s.
They then paraded from the headquarters of the main conservative Popular Party to that of the ruling Socialists, where a heavy police presence awaited them, AFP journalists saw.
“National unity,” “PSOE, PP, it’s the same war!” they chanted, according to images posted on social media, referring to the parties’ acronyms. They also carried an anti-migrant banner.
Mamdani accuses US of funding genocide by Israel during warm meeting with Trump
US President Donald Trump meets with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (L) in the Oval Office of the White House on November 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP)
US President Donald Trump says that he and visiting New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani did not discuss during their White House meeting the latter’s pledge to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to the Big Apple.
Standing next to Trump in the Oval Office after their private meeting, Mamdani tells reporters that when he spoke to New Yorkers who supported both Trump and him, the two main reasons given were a desire to “end forever wars” and an “end to the taxpayer dollars we had funding violations of human rights” along with the rising cost of living in the city.
Trump says he has no problem with sharing voters with Mamdani.
Asked about the Middle East, Trump reiterates that the US is pushing for the “total disarmament of Hamas.”
He also says Hezbollah remains a “problem,” but that the US is working with Lebanon to address it.
A reporter claims Mamdani has accused the US of committing a genocide in Gaza. The mayor-elect clarifies that he has “spoken about the Israeli government committing genocide and I’ve spoken about our government funding it.”
“I shared with the president in our meeting about the concern that many New Yorkers have of wanting their tax dollars to go toward the benefit of New Yorkers and their ability to afford basic dignity,” Mamdani says in response to a question. “There’s a desperate need not only for the following of human rights but also the following through on the promises we’ve made New Yorkers.”
“I appreciate all efforts toward peace,” he adds. We’re tired of seeing our tax dollars fund endless wars, and I also believe that we have to follow through on the international human rights, and I know that still today those are being violated, and that continues to be work that has to be done, no matter where we’re speaking of.”
Trump does not comment on the matter, beyond noting that he and Mamdani feel “very strongly about peace in the Middle East.”
The pair says that their meeting was very cordial, despite their past animosity.
Q: Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?
MAMDANI: I've spoken about–
TRUMP: That's okay. You can just say yes. I don't mind. pic.twitter.com/uWZFRcmGxB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 21, 2025
Trump is asked about New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s accusation that Mamdani is a jihadist, and whether Trump agrees with that characterization.
“No, I don’t, but she’s out there campaigning and you say things sometimes during a campaign,” Trump responds. “I met with a man who’s a very rational person.”
As the meeting wraps up, Mamdani is asked about a caustic protest outside a New York City synagogue this week.
“I care very deeply about Jewish safety and I look very forward to rooting out antisemitism across the five boroughs and every New Yorker who calls the city home,” he says.
The meeting appears to be very friendly, with each of them complimenting the other for the campaigning that they have done. They both say they’ll work together on improving affordability in New York City.
“I met with a man who is a very rational person,” Trump says of Mamdani. “I’ll be cheering for him.”
“We’ve just had a great meeting, a really good, very productive meeting. One thing in common, we want this city of ours that we love to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor,” Trump tells reporters.
Democrat demands release of ‘shocking’ Trump-Saudi call from 2019 after Khashoggi’s death
US President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, November 18, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)
A Democratic lawmaker who served on Donald Trump’s National Security Council in his first term urged the White House on Friday to release a transcript of Trump’s 2019 call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing.
“The Khashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was in that call… the receipts will raise serious questions,” Representative Eugene Vindman tells a news conference with Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi.
In 2019, Vindman worked on the National Security Council, where his job included reviewing confidential telephone calls.
“In my opinion, that call was shocking,” Vindman, a retired Army officer, says.
Vindman declined to release details about the call because it was classified. But he said it involved a quid pro quo, implying that Trump had offered a favor in return for something.
Asked for comment, White House communications director Steven Cheung said in an email: “Vindman is a bitter back-bencher who nobody takes seriously. He is a serial liar.”
Trump gave bin Salman a lavish welcome at the White House on Tuesday and defended him over the killing of Khashoggi by Saudi agents, which U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the crown prince approved.
Trump said on Tuesday that bin Salman knew nothing about the October 2018 killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi leadership.
Vindman represents Virginia, Khashoggi’s home when he was killed at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. Dozens of congressional Democrats joined him this week in signing a letter demanding the White House release the call transcript.
Vindman does not specify the date of the call. According to media reports, Trump and the Saudi leader spoke on June 21, 2019. News coverage said they discussed U.S. tensions with Iran and oil prices.
In November 2018, Trump said bin Salman may have known about Khashoggi’s killing. But, the president said, the US would remain a “steadfast partner” to the kingdom and not “foolishly cancel” Saudi contracts to buy US military equipment.
Vindman says he is concerned by two calls while at the NSC, one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that led to Trump’s first impeachment, and the call with the Saudi ruler.
Vindman’s twin brother, Alexander Vindman, also worked on the security council and blew the whistle on the Zelensky call that led to Trump’s first impeachment. In that call, Trump suggested that Zelensky investigate Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani arrives at White House for meeting with Trump
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has arrived at the White House for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
IDF says troops killed West Bank gunman who shot reservist
A rifle seized by the IDF that was used by a Palestinian gunman who shot and wounded a reservist in the West Bank, November 21, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
In a joint statement, the IDF and the Shin Bet say counter-terrorism forces have killed the Palestinian gunman who shot and wounded an IDF reservist yesterday.
The raid took place in the village of Tell, near Nablus, where Yamam fighters shot dead the assailant after he opened fire at them with a long rifle. The military claims the man was “active in the Palestinian police.”
Givati Brigade troops also arrested another suspect who surrendered at the scene, identified as a fellow member of the Palestinian Authority police.
In separate operations in Burqin, Duvdevan commando unit fighters arrested a gunman who had fired at Israeli forces, while Yamam troops detained an additional suspect in the Fara’a camp.
All detainees have been handed over to the Shin Bet for questioning, the military says, adding that no Israeli forces were wounded in the operations.
Zamir said to warn settler violence could undercut IDF’s ability to act in Gaza, Lebanon
A Palestinian man looks at the damage after a tourist house under construction was reportedly set on fire by Israeli settlers in the village of Amuria, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on November 21, 2025. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)
IDF chief of staff is reportedly warning that failure to deal with rampant, unchecked settler violence in the West Bank risks limiting Israel’s ability to address security threats in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Channel 12 quotes Zamir as having warned in unspecified internal deliberations that “if we don’t stop the Jewish rioters,” Israel may have more limited ability to act “along the key fronts in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria.”
“These anarchists could set the area a flame in a moment, causing a situation in which all forces need to be immediately diverted from the Gaza and Lebanon borders to the Judea and Samaria area, without there being any security interest in doing so right now,” he is quoted as having said.
“If this thing isn’t dealt with, it could interfere with everything. We are in a critical period and the focus needs to be on Gaza and Lebanon.”
IDF releases footage of terrorists fleeing Rafah tunnels as manhunt continues
The IDF says that following the identification of approximately 15 Hamas operatives who attempted to escape underground terror infrastructure in the Rafah area earlier today, the chief of the Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, the chief of the Gaza Division, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram and additional commanders conducted a situational assessment in the field and approved future plans.
Alongside the announcement, the military also releases footage showing the gunmen’s attempts to escape through the tunnels.
In its initial report, the IDF said an airstrike killed six of the operatives, while the Nahal Brigade captured five more on the ground.
IDF troops continue to scan the area from the air and on the ground to locate the additional terrorists, the military says.
תיעוד: ניסיון בריחת המחבלים מהתשתית התת-קרקעית במזרח רפיח
לכל הפרטים:https://t.co/58gK6fJHTn pic.twitter.com/UXuvWF5Kvh
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 21, 2025
Settlers filmed grazing cattle through private Palestinian lands, harassing locals and damaging crops
Footage published by Haaretz shows young Israeli settlers grazing their cattle through private lands belonging to the villages of Deir Ballut and Duma in the central and northern West Bank, damaging crops and harassing locals.
The footage was filmed by local Palestinians and Israeli solidarity activists.
מתנחל מקבל את השבת במרעה בתוך הקהילה הפלסטינית בדומא. תחילה בין הגדר החיצונית להיקפית, ובהמשך בין הבתים. הפעילים מדווחים שהמשטרה והצבא מיאנו להגיע לשטח.
חשוב לזכור שמרבית האירועים לא מסתיימים בהצתות ופצועים או אפילו בנזק מיידי לרכוש – אך שגרת פלישה והתעמרות היא הלחם והחמאה… pic.twitter.com/y2XUFZ3Hx4
— Matan Golan (@MatanGolanPhoto) November 21, 2025
בדוגמא אחרת מהיום עדר בקר של מתנחלים רועה בתוך מטע זיתים פלסטיני בדיר בלוט. הרעייה במטעים פוגעת בעץ וביבול. פלישה שמלווה לפגיעה פסטורלית בקניין.
מצורפים כמה סרטונים נוספים מהחודש האחרון. זו מגמה שמתחזקת בעונת המסיק אך מתרחשת גם בשאר ימות השנה.
פעמים רבות יגיע הצבא לנקודות… pic.twitter.com/s9YNsEFbai
— Matan Golan (@MatanGolanPhoto) November 21, 2025
Zelensky rebuffs US plan to end war, says won’t ‘betray’ Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, November 17, 2025. (Sarah Meyssonnier, Pool Photo via AP)
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky warns he will not “betray” his country as he pushed back on a US plan to end the war on terms favorable to Moscow, acknowledging he risks losing Washington as an ally.
Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Zelensky says in an address to the nation published on social media, adding that he would propose “alternatives” to US President Donald Trump’s 28-point plan.
Kyiv and its European allies were startled by the proposal — which would effectively force Ukraine to capitulate by giving up land, cutting its army, pledging never to join NATO and holding snap elections.
Russia, meanwhile, would not only gain territory but be reintegrated into the global economy and rejoin the G8, under a draft of the plan, seen by AFP.
In Moscow, the Kremlin was bullish, threatening Zelensky to negotiate or lose even more territory.
Zelensky says: “I will present arguments, I will persuade, I will propose alternatives.”
Recalling how he marshaled Kyiv’s response to the Russian invasion in February 2022, he says: “We did not betray Ukraine then, we will not do so now.”
He spoke to US Vice President JD Vance earlier today, a source in the Ukrainian president’s office says, without elaborating on the discussion.
And the Ukrainian leader plans to speak directly to Trump in the “coming days,” his office said Thursday.
He also held an emergency call with German, French and British leaders as Europe, cut out of the process, also scrambled to respond.
US Jewish groups condemn blood libel display at DC train station
Jewish groups condemn a display in Washington, DC, that echoes the age-old anti-Jewish blood libel that has caused outbreaks of violence against Jews for centuries.
Performers wearing the masks of prominent leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, are seen in a video of the display drinking mock blood from wine glasses at a table covered with a blood-spattered Israeli flag.
Also on the table are fake bloody limbs and fake organ meat. The performers, their hands stained red, wipe the blood off their faces with Israeli flags. The characters playing Netanyahu and former US president Joe Biden pull apart a heap of bloody entrails.
An oversized menu that was placed next to the table is titled, “Israel’s Friendsgiving Dinner,” and its offerings include, “Gaza children’s limbs,” “stolen organs,” “illegally harvested skin,” and for a drink, “Gaza’s spilled blood.”
The bottom of the menu is signed with a heart next to Netanyahu’s name.
Blood libel was on full display today at Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Dressed up as “activism” and “performance art,” this was nothing less than the revival of one of the oldest and most dangerous antisemitic tropes in history.
Blood libel has fueled violence, persecution,… pic.twitter.com/YIY3hltMQA
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) November 21, 2025
The exhibit took place at Union Station in the capital, the main entryway into the city for public transportation.
The American Jewish Committee says, “Blood libel was on full display today.”
“Dressed up as ‘activism’ and ‘performance art,’ this was nothing less than the revival of one of the oldest and most dangerous antisemitic tropes in history,” the committee says. “Blood libel has fueled violence, persecution and massacres of Jews for centuries. Seeing it resurface in our nation’s capital is both horrifying and unacceptable.”
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater DC says, “just steps away from the symbols and heart of American democracy, a scene that would have been right at home in Nazi Germany played out in the United States. Seldom have we seen such a sickening display of full-throated antisemitism.”
Pro-Palestinian activists in the area claim credit for the display on social media.
The blood libel is an age-old anti-Jewish myth that falsely says Jews murder non-Jews to bake their blood into Passover matzah. The libel is one of the most notorious antisemitic falsehoods and has caused repeated violence to Jews in Europe and elsewhere.
Last week, a university researcher in the UK taught a blood libel to students during a lecture.
Bennett urges public to attend Saturday night rally for state commission of inquiry into Oct. 7
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett calls on the public to attend a Saturday night protest in Tel Aviv demanding a state commission of inquiry into Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.
“This is not a matter of… right or left. On October 7th, our country collapsed. Entire families were murdered in their homes. Our daughters were raped, our children were burned. The State of Israel failed in its most basic mission: to be a safe haven for Jews,” Bennett writes on a social media post.
“This cannot continue. Without truth, there can be no reform, without reform it will happen again. Therefore, on Saturday night, we will all come to the rally and demand with one voice: a state commission of inquiry now.”
Indian Tejas fighter jet crashes in a ball of fire at Dubai Airshow, killing pilot
Los servicios de emergencias acuden al lugar donde se estrelló un avión de combate HAL Tejas de India, durante una exhibición aérea en el Dubai Air Show, en el aeropuerto internacional Al Maktoum de Dubái, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, el 21 de noviembre de 2025. (Dubai Media Office via AP)
An Indian Tejas fighter jet crashed in a ball of fire in front of horrified spectators during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow earlier today, and the Indian Air Force says it is setting up a court of inquiry to investigate the cause.
Video from the site showed black smoke rising behind a fenced airstrip. Dubai’s government shares a photograph of firefighting teams dousing smoldering wreckage.
Jignesh Variya, 46, who was attending the show with his family, tells Reuters the fighter jet had been flying for no more than eight or nine minutes and completed two to three laps when it went into a nose-dive, before flattening out but continuing to lose altitude and crashing at around 2:15 p.m. (1015 GMT).
“I could see three different fireballs when it collided with the ground,” he says. “Everybody in the crowd stood up there on their feet, and then maybe in around 30 seconds, the emergency vehicles rushed over to the location of the crash site.”
BREAKING: An Indian Tejas fighter jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show. pic.twitter.com/TvwUoe3juh
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 21, 2025
Netanyahu shares article from Socialist news site about Jeffrey Epstein’s work on behalf of Ehud Barak
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shares an article from a socialist magazine about recently revealed text messages from Jeffrey Epstein in which the late sex offender brags about his consulting work on behalf of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak during the 2019 parliamentary election in Israel.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 21, 2025
Israel reportedly refusing Gaza entry to American doctor needed for colostomy reversal surgeries
Israel is reportedly refusing to allow an American trauma surgeon entry into Gaza, where his expertise is needed to provide life-saving treatment to wounded patients.
Firuz Sidhwa entered Gaza twice to provide emergency care during the war and was granted initial approval from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) to enter a third time on November 12. He flew to Jordan, where, hours before he was slated to travel to Gaza, he was notified by COGAT that his permit had been rescinded, with no reason given.
He has since been waiting in Amman for the rejection to be overturned.
Sidhwa’s services are in high demand in Gaza as many of the wounded require colostomy reversal surgery that he is able to perform. He was supposed to perform a large number of these operations upon his arrival, but those have now been put on hold.
Sidhwa previously lived in Israel for a year and he tells Haaretz that he has Israeli friends. He planned to lecture at Ben-Gurion University’s medical school after finishing his volunteer work in Gaza.
Following his previous stints in Gaza, he gave a series of interviews and testified before the UN Security Council about what he saw in the Strip.
“Israelis think that if I go to Gaza, then I hate Israelis. That’s absolutely not true. I don’t go there because of Israel’s crimes. I go there because of the crimes of the (American) government,” he tells Haaretz.
Responding to the report, the IDF said Sidhwa’s entry was denied by the Shin Bet. The Shin Bet did not respond to a request for comment.
The Diaspora Ministry, which oversees the entry of humanitarian organizations in the Strip, also said it wasn’t connected to the issue. The Prime Minister’s Office, which oversees the Shin Bet, did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
IDF says the 13 people killed in Tuesday strike on Lebanese coastal town were Hamas operatives
This week’s Israeli airstrike against a Hamas training facility in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the Lebanese coastal city of Sidon killed 13 members of the terror group, the IDF confirms.
According to the IDF, among those killed in the Tuesday strike was Jawad Sidawi, who was involved in training Hamas operatives “to carry out terror attacks from Lebanese territory against IDF troops and the State of Israel.”
The IDF slams the Lebanese state, saying that it “pledged to disarm the armed factions in the Palestinian camps, yet the terrorist organizations continue to cynically exploit the population and civilian infrastructure for terror purposes.”
“Despite the denials of Hamas, the training facility is clear proof of the organization’s attempts to establish itself in Lebanon,” the military says.
The military says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using “a precision munition, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.”
“The IDF is operating against Hamas’s entrenchment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate,” the military adds.
7 settler attacks reported overnight across West Bank as violent trend appears to intensify
Mohammad Dalal looks at scorched cars in his scrapyard that was set ablaze the night before by who local residents alleged were Israeli settlers in the town of Huwara near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinians report seven different incidents of settler violence across the West Bank overnight Thursday-Friday, as the phenomenon appears to only intensify, despite some recent condemnations from Israeli officials and pledges to prosecute the largely untouched offenders.
In the northern West Bank village of Luban a-Sharqiya, footage shows several buildings that were torched allegedly by settlers. Massive property damage was recorded, but no injuries.
???? مستوطنون إسرائيليون يهاجمون بعد منتصف الليلة الماضية منطقة طاروجا بين قريتي اللبن الشرقية وعمورية جنوب #نابلس ويشعلون النيران في أربعة منازل pic.twitter.com/woDaU7Q0oG
— عربي بوست (@arabic_post) November 21, 2025
In Abu Falah, near Ramallah, footage showed an agricultural building that was torched, allegedly by settlers.
בנוסף, עפ״י דיווחים מבנה חקלאי הוצת ע״י מתנחלים באבו פלאח. משתלה הושחתה בדיר שארף . משחטת רכבים הוצתה בחווארה. בפאתי בית פוריק מתנחלים פלשו עפ״י דיווחים לשטח B והתעמתו עם חקלאים.
קרדיט 27 א pic.twitter.com/tn4HBBaoJ1
— Matan Golan (@MatanGolanPhoto) November 21, 2025
In Deir Sharaf, near Nablus, a plant nursery was discovered vandalized this morning, with locals also blaming settlers.
????مستوطنون يستهدفون مشتلاً في قرية #دير_شرف غرب نابلس فجر اليوم ويدمـرون محتوياته
قبل يومين قاموا بتخريب محتويات معرض للأدوات المنزلية بالقرية#فلسطين #دير_شرف #مشتل #مستوطنون pic.twitter.com/YefqYZO6CD— ديوان (@DiwanDaily) November 21, 2025
In a parking lot outside of the northern West Bank village of Huwara, over a dozen Palestinian-owned parked vehicles were torched last night, with witnesses spotting masked settlers fleeing the scene afterward.
خسائر بمئات آلاف الشواقل في باحة السيارات التي احرقها المستوطنون امس في بلدة حوارة في نابلس#فلسطين #نابلس #الاحتلال pic.twitter.com/GylArc7WAP
— ديوان (@DiwanDaily) November 21, 2025
Palestinians also filmed settlers raiding the nearby village of Beit Furik to clash and intimidate locals. The town is located in Area B of the West Bank, which Israeli civilians are barred from entering.
???? مزارعون وأهالي يتصدون لهجوم المستوطنين على الأراضي الزراعية في منطقة السهل قرب بلدة بيت فوريك شرق نابلس pic.twitter.com/LJGB1JB53S
— Sputnik Arabic (@sputnik_ar) November 21, 2025
And as earlier reported, several settlers were filmed attacking the Palestinians in the village of Markaz in the South Hebron Hills overnight. Footage from the incident shows several masked men beating residents with clubs. Several Palestinians were injured in the attack, one of whom was evacuated to a hospital in moderate condition.
هجوم عنيف.. مشهد اعتداء وهجوم مليشيات المستوطنين على خربة المركز في مسافر يطا جنوب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/DO8jZVXrZM
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 21, 2025
In the latest incident, Israeli solidarity activists reported that an 85-year-old Palestinian riding his donkey to the mosque outside the South Hebron Hills village of Susya before settlers knocked them both to the ground. Both the man and the donkey suffered injuries, and the former required hospitalization. Several days earlier, settlers sprayed Hebrew graffiti on buildings nearby.
מתנחלים תקפו אדם בן 85 הבוקר ח'ליל הרייני יצא מביתו שבוואדי רח'ים על חמור כדי להתפלל במסגד שביטא, בדרכו התנפלו עליו מתנחלים, תקפו אותו והפילו אותו מהחמור. לפני כמה ימים רוססו כתובות גרפיטי על אחד הבתים הסמוכים. וואדי רח'ים הוא אזור סמוך לסוסיא, בשטח המוגדר על ידי המשטר שטח B https://t.co/AxoqrCEGqS pic.twitter.com/bDdfhsUpb2
— מחוץ לעדר (@masafering) November 21, 2025
In all of the incidents, there were no reports of arrests, which are highly rare in such cases.
Relatedly, a public WhatsApp channel run by Jewish extremists posted a video in the group yesterday boasting of how many attacks had been carried out against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank over the course of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, which ended on Thursday. This is the second consecutive month that.
בהמשך לכתבה שפורסמה השבוע (לינק בשרשור) אתמול הופץ **״סיכום המאבק באויב הערבי בארץ הקודש בחודש חשוון״** – לקיחת אחריות מלאת גאווה בטרור יהודי בקבוצה גלויה.
מעבר לסטטיסטיקה שתואמת יותר לנתוני האו״ם מאשר לנתוני צה״ל אודות היקפי התקיפות,
לסיכום התווסף סרטון עם פסקול של השיר ״לעשות… pic.twitter.com/Tkc0Lg7GeT
— Matan Golan (@MatanGolanPhoto) November 21, 2025
Palestinian family accuses IDF of stealing its cattle and transferring it to neighboring settlers
A Palestinian family in the northern West Bank has petitioned the High Court of Justice, alleging that the IDF seized its cattle and transferred them to neighboring settlers.
The neighboring settlers living in an illegal farming outpost claim that the cows had originally belonged to them, but the Palestinian family says the IDF provided no proof of this ownership when troops seized the cattle from the village of Sanur near Jenin last month.
Such farming outposts have mushroomed across the West Bank with no enforcement against them and they have become hotbeds for repeated attacks on Palestinians.
חיילי צה"ל לוקחים עדר פרות מהכפר סנור בגדה המערבית, אשר מתנחלים טענו כי נגנב מהם pic.twitter.com/7MFTHdclvf
— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) November 20, 2025
The Palestinian family argues in their petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel that the IDF seizure was conducted violently, with members detained, animals beaten and property destroyed.
“Every day that passes robs the petitioners of their livelihood. Worse, as time passes, the chances that the herd of cows, which they raised for years and served as their sole source of income, will be found and returned to them are decreasing. The thieves, or those to whom the stolen herd was transferred, profit,” states the petition, which was first reported by Haaretz.
חיילים עוצרים שני פלסטינים בעלי עדר פרות בכפר סנור בגדה המערבית, לאחר שמתנחלים טענו כי הפרות במקום נגנבו מהם pic.twitter.com/4BoBh0FB0G
— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) November 20, 2025
“The feeling of immunity, the unrestricted use of power and force for prohibited purposes, and the complete and violent disregard for the human rights and legal rights of the protected residents, find their purest expression in this ugly case,” ACRI’s Reut Shaer tells Haaretz in a statement. “Instead of protecting the rights of the residents and ensuring public order, the soldiers acting on behalf of the respondents and subject to their authority behave like the last of the rioters.”
Pro-Israel Democratic group announces passing of founder
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid (L) and political strategist Mark Mellman in the Knesset before the swearing in of Israel's 36th government, June 13, 2021. (Yesh Atid)
An organization lobbying for support for Israel among Democrats announces the passing of its founder Mark Mellman.
Democratic Majority for Israel calls Mellman “a brilliant political strategist whose intellect and acumen shaped DMFI from the beginning.”
“Mark was not only a deep policy mind but a passionate advocate for American democracy, its institutions, the rule of law, as well as for the security and prosperity of Israel,” DMFI says.
“He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and colleague. His leadership and courage in difficult political moments helped turn DMFI into a formidable organization that continues to serve as an essential voice in Washington and in the pro-Israel community across the country.”
“Mark possessed a profound understanding of American and Jewish history. His unwavering commitment to Democratic values will continue to guide and inspire us. All of us at DMFI miss him dearly. We send our heartfelt condolences to Mark’s wife, Mindy, their entire family, and those who worked so closely with him. May his memory always be a blessing,” his former organization says.
Iran’s FM accuses Western powers of ‘escalation’ after latest IAEA resolution
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that the United States, Britain, Germany and France were pursuing a path of “escalation” following the passage of a new resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog.
The resolution, adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board on Thursday, demanded Tehran provide “full and prompt” cooperation, including access to sensitive nuclear sites.
“Given that the E3 and the US seek escalation, they know full well that the official termination of the Cairo Agreement is the direct outcome of their provocations,” Araghchi says on X.
The Cairo Agreement was reached in September between Iran and the IAEA to establish a framework for cooperation, but was deemed invalid by Tehran last month when the three European countries, or E3, triggered the return of UN sanctions that had been lifted under a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal.
Following Thursday’s passage of the new resolution, Iran sent an official letter to the IAEA saying the Cairo Agreement was “null and void.”
Eli Zeira, IDF intel chief during 1973 Yom Kippur War, dies at 97
Maj. Gen. Eli Zeira in an undated photo (Israel Defense Forces)
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eli Zeira, the chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, has died at the age of 97.
Zeira is best known for his ill-judged assessment that Egypt and Syria would not attack in 1973, despite intelligence reports to the contrary.
Antisemitism reaches record levels in Czech Republic amid Gaza war, Jewish community report says
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters attend an rally supporting Palestinian people in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Antisemitic incidents in the Czech Republic reached record levels last year amid the conflict in Gaza, the country’s Jewish community says.
In its annual report, the Federation of the Jewish Communities says it registered 4,694 antisemitic incidents in 2024, almost 8.5 percent up from 4,328 in the previous year. In 2023, the reports jumped by 90% following the deadly Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, an assault that triggered the war in Gaza.
Petr Papousek, head of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, says that his country was no exception to “a global explosive wave of antisemitism which erupted immediately after the Hamas attack.”
Papousek says that hatred of Jews, especially in the form of demonization of the State of Israel, has become a socially acceptable attitude and has dominated the public space. He says the attacks showed “an unprecedented synergy” between the far right, the far left, Islamism and the disinformation media.
“The unifying element is hatred of Israel, which works with the motives, narratives, conspiracies and myths of traditional antisemitism,” he says.
Most incidents, almost 96%, were expressed online, mostly through social media, the annual report says.
But a record of four cases of physical attacks were registered last year, compared to none in 2023. All of them were linked to the Middle East conflict. Twelve cases of desecration of Jewish cemeteries, monuments, and damage to other objects were reported, double the number from the previous year.
IDF says it killed 6 Hamas operatives, captured 5 more after 15 emerged from Rafah tunnels
Some 15 Hamas operatives emerged from tunnels in two separate locations in eastern Rafah — an area in southern Gaza held by the IDF — earlier today, the military says, following a preliminary investigation into the incident.
According to the IDF, the Israeli Air Force, with information provided by ground troops, struck and killed six of the operatives.
Meanwhile, troops of the Nahal Brigade captured five of the operatives who surrendered to them, the military says, adding that they were taken to Israel to be questioned by the Shin Bet.
The IDF says it continues to scan the area, both from the air and on the ground, to locate the other gunmen who had emerged from the tunnels.
Dozens of Hamas terrorists were estimated to be holed up in tunnels in the Rafah area, on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line. The US had pressured Israel to allow them safe passage back to Hamas-held areas of Gaza.
The IDF says that in recent weeks it has been conducting a “concentrated effort” in Rafah to “destroy the remaining underground routes in the area and eliminate the terrorists residing in them.”
Last week, the IDF said it killed three or four Hamas operatives who emerged from the tunnels in the area.
More food entering Gaza, but ‘long way to go’ before goals met, WFP says
Displaced Palestinians chase after trucks travelling along Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip, near Deir al-Balah, as they attempt to obtain humanitarian aid on November 9, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)
GENEVA, Switzerland — More food supplies are getting into Gaza since the October ceasefire, but are still falling short of huge humanitarian needs as winter rains risk spoiling delivered foodstuffs, the UN World Food Programme says.
“Things are better than before the ceasefire, but we have a long way to go. Sustained support is an important endeavour to help families rebuild their health, their nutrition, and their lives,” WFP spokesperson Martin Penner tells reporters in Geneva via video link from the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of thousands of people remain in urgent need of food assistance, according to the WFP. In August, a global food monitor said at least half a million people were experiencing famine in parts of the coastal enclave, though analysts say updated data shows the claim was likely inflated.
Earlier this week, Gaza was hit by heavy rain that spoiled and washed away some food supplies that residents had been storing, senior WFP spokeswoman Abeer Etefa says. It was a sign of the challenges for families as winter sets in, she adds.
Since a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect on October 10 after two years of war that demolished much of the highly urbanised territory and caused a humanitarian disaster, the WFP has brought 40,000 tons of food aid into Gaza.
But it has met only 30 percent of its target for food parcels — reaching around 530,000 out of 1.6 million people, due to logistical issues getting supplies into the enclave earlier this month. However, it says it is now starting to catch up.
Though Gaza’s markets are reviving, food prices remain high for Palestinians, many of whom lost their income during the war, with a chicken costing $25, meaning many are reliant on food aid, the WFP says.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Sharaa returned from White House ‘full of himself,’ Netanyahu said to tell cabinet
In this photo released by the Syrian Presidency press office, US President Donald Trump, right, speaks with Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa, at the White House in Washington, Nov. 10, 2025. (Syrian Presidency press office via AP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Syrian Prime Minister Ahmed al-Sharaa returned from his White House trip this week “full of himself” and more daring, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
“Al-Jolani came back full of himself from Washington. He is beginning to do all sorts of things that we won’t accept,” he reportedly told the security cabinet last night, using Sharaa’s nom de guerre.
Netanyahu also claimed that Sharaa “wants to bring Russian forces to the border,” according to Kan.
“He came back smelling of perfume,” Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly said, referring to a moment when US President Donald Trump sprayed Sharaa with a perfume.
Israeli troops took up several positions in southwestern Syria following the fall of the Bashar Assad regime last year, in what Jerusalem has said is a temporary security measure.
While Washington is keen to eventually normalize ties between Israel and Syria, the latter is aiming first at a security deal, with the condition that Israeli troops withdraw from its territory.
Sharaa told The Washington Post earlier this week that during his Monday meeting with the US president, “we found that Mr. Trump supports our perspective as well, and he will push as quickly as possible to reach a solution for this.”
Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
Israel sizzles under record-breaking late November heatwave
The Israel Meteorological Society says the country’s average temperature today has broken records for the end of November.
According to the IMS, the average temperature is 10 degrees higher than the seasonal average.
The Beit Dagan IMS station recorded a temperature of 36.2°C (97°F) and 35.8°C (96°F) at the Hefetz Haim station in the Shfela region.
Two Palestinian teens shot dead by Border Police during East Jerusalem raid
Two Palestinian teenagers were shot dead by Border Police officers during an overnight operation in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry identifies them as Amr Marboua, 18, and Sami Mashaikha, 16.
Police say that forces operated overnight in Kafr Aqab “against hostile elements in the area who acted to harm security forces and create violent riots.”
During the raid, dozens of Palestinians rioted against the officers, including hurling stones and setting off fireworks, police say.
Additionally, police say that “heavy gunfire was heard, whose source was not identified.”
“The troops fired at four suspects who posed a real threat to the force,” police say, adding that they were evacuated by medical officials.
ارتقاء الشاب عمرو خالد أحمد المربوع (18 عاماً)، والفتى سامي إبراهيم سامي مشايخ (16 عاماً) برصاص الاحتلال في بلدة كفر عقب شمال القدس المحتلة فجر اليوم. pic.twitter.com/LH50jEwAz4
— ق.ض (@Qadeyah1) November 21, 2025
Netanyahu, Herzog eulogize ‘larger than life’ Netanya mayor Feirberg-Ikar
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eulogizes late Netanya mayor Miriam Feirberg-Ikar in a statement.
Netanyahu says Feirberg-Ikar, who passed away today, “dedicated her life to public service, advancing society and bold, future-oriented urban development.”
“At every meeting with her throughout the decades, Miriam asked to advance the city of Netanya. She lived, breathed, and dreamed Netanya, and this is evident in the city’s tremendous development under her leadership,” he says.
In a post on X, President Isaac Herzog calls Feiberg-Ikar a “larger than life” person who served the public according to “true leadership with a heart of gold and social sensitivity.”
French antisemitism being stoked by far-left, minister tells mayors conference
The European Summit of Mayors Against Antisemitism in Paris, France, November 20, 2025. (Combat Antisemitism Movement)
Antisemitism is being weaponized in France by members of the far-left for political purposes, a French minister tells a delegation of mayors from across Europe.
“We are facing political forces, in France, from the far left, that have instrumentalized the violence being caused, the suffering of the Israeli people, to mislead the French population, to give a kind of foreign legitimacy to antisemitism, and to bring this conflict into our society for political gain,” French Minister Delegate for Europe Benjamin Haddad told the European Summit of Mayors Against Antisemitism in Paris yesterday. “This is something we have to constantly fight with the same democratic, republican, universal values that bind us together.”
The summit, organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, brought more than 100 mayors and municipal leaders from over 130 cities across 30 European countries to confront surging hatred toward Jewish communities on Wednesday and Thursday. The event, one of the largest of its type in Europe in recent years, was co-produced with the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), the European Jewish Congress, and the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage.
Haddad also urged greater oversight of EU-funded NGOs, saying “too much opacity and too little control” has allowed money to reach groups tied to antisemitic rhetoric.
Other officials emphasized the role of local governments. “Action locally is key,” said Katharina von Schnurbein, the EU’s antisemitism coordinator, who received CAM’s Global Leadership Award.
Security cabinet said to form ministerial team to oversee Gaza deal’s second phase
Palestinians walk through a market street in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on November 20, 2025. (Eyad Baba / AFP)
The security cabinet last night voted to form a team of ministers who will oversee the implementation of the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The team will be made up of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the report says.
The latter two, far-right ministers, voted against the deal.
The second stage of the deal is meant to begin after all hostages are freed. Hamas is still holding the bodies of three deceased hostages.
No firm timeline has been put on the next stages of the plan, but the Trump administration is working to set up an international security force with troops from Arab and Muslim nations to police the truce as part of its second stage, which also includes the disarmament of Hamas.
Miriam Feirberg-Ikar, Netanya’s mayor since 1998, dies at 74
Mayor of Netanya Miriam Feirberg poses for a picture, in Netanya, on March 6, 2017. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
Netanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg-Ikar, 74, has died after a years-long battle with a serious illness, Hebrew media reports.
Feirberg-Ikar has been the mayor of the city since 1998. She was last reelected in 2024.
Eurovision unveils voting changes seemingly aimed at complaints over Israel
Yuval Raphael representing Israel with the song "New Day Will Rise" parades with Israeli flag during the dress rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on May 16, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Eurovision organizers unveil a slate of new changes to the contest’s voting system, seemingly aimed at assuaging concerns raised by member countries after Israel’s landslide win in the popular vote earlier this year.
While the announcement on the voting reforms does not mention Israel by name, the changes match up to several complaints made about Israel following this year’s competition in Switzerland, where Yuval Raphael ran away with the popular vote and finished second overall.
The voting changes, aimed at appeasing some angry member states, are yet another sign indicating the European Broadcasting Union is leaning toward allowing Israel to remain in the competition, after it scrapped a vote planned for this month on the issue.
In a public letter, Eurovision director Martin Green writes that he hopes the new voting system “allows for the Contest to acknowledge the sometimes-difficult world in which we live but resist attempts to turn our stage into a place of geopolitical division.”
Under the new system, the EBU will “discourage disproportionate promotion campaigns… particularly when undertaken or supported by third parties, including governments or governmental agencies.” One of the allegations lobbed at Israel after this year’s contest was over government-sponsored campaigns urging votes for Raphael, although several other countries did the same, and the rules allowed it. The new rules prohibit broadcasters or artists from supporting third-party campaigns.
The reforms also include fewer maximum votes per voter, capped at 10 instead of 20. Some broadcasters had complained that Israel supporters were maxing out their support for Raphael, while traditional Eurovision fans were spreading their support around their favorite acts. Under the new system, the professional juries will also return for the semifinals instead of just the finals, with those also now being decided by a 50/50 mix — as they were until 2023. The EBU will also be working to enhance its “technical safeguards” to prevent any voter fraud.
The EBU says that member states “will be asked to consider this package of measures and safeguards and decide if they are sufficient to meet their concerns around participation without having a vote on the topic” at its upcoming General Assembly next month. The assembly is also where a final decision will be made on whether Israel will be allowed to participate.
The public broadcasters of some participating countries, including Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands, have pledged to withdraw entirely if Israel takes part in the contest, and several others, including Iceland, Slovenia, and Belgium, have threatened to follow suit. While the EBU originally announced a vote among all member states on the issue, it scrapped the idea following the ceasefire in Gaza and instead said that it will now “discuss participation” in the contest, and that “further details” would be provided later to EBU members.
Anonymous site offers $100,000 for execution of Israeli academics
An anonymous anti-Israel website posts a list threatening senior Israeli academics, offering $100,000 for the execution of the “special targets.”
The site, The Punishment For Justice Movement, labels Israeli figures “criminals and collaborators with the occupation army” and “distributors of weapons of mass destruction to the Israeli army,” who are “involved in the murder of Palestinian children.”
Some of those listed on the site include Shikma Bressler, an anti-government protest leader who is a physicist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Ben Gurion University President Danny Chamovitz.
In addition to rewards for their execution, the site offers a reward of $2,000 for placing signs in front of targets’ homes, and burning their vehicles for $20,000.
*אתר אנונימי פרסם רשימת "יעדי חיסול": 100 אלף דולר תמורת רצח אקדמאים ישראלים*
זעזוע בעולם האקדמיה הישראלי: אתר אינטרנט אנונימי בשם The Punishment For Justice Movement מפרסם איומים חמורים וממוקדים ברצח אקדמאים ישראלים בכירים, תוך שהוא מציג אותם כ"פושעים ומשתפי פעולה עם צבא הכיבוש pic.twitter.com/wTEMvZCtKN
— רחלי racheliy אבידר avidarms (@racheliy555555) November 21, 2025
IDF says troops seized weapons during recent op in southern Syria
Weapons seized by IDF troops during operations in southern Syria, in a handout photo issued by the military on November 21, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says reservists of the 55th Paratroopers Brigade seized weapons during recent ground operations in southern Syria.
The reserve brigade was called up in recent months for “proactive defense missions” under the 210th “Bashan” Regional Division, “to maintain the security of the residents of the State of Israel and the residents of the Golan Heights in particular,” the military says.
During scans in southern Syria, the IDF says the troops located rocket parts, RPGs, and other firearms. All of the weapons were then destroyed, it adds.
Footage shows settlers attacking Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills
Several settlers attacked Palestinians in the village of Markaz in the South Hebron Hills, in the southern West Bank, overnight.
The village lies within an IDF firing zone.
Footage from the incident shows several masked men beating residents with clubs.
A Palestinian who lives in the area and asked not to be named, tells The Times of Israel that the attackers came from several outposts in the area.
Several Palestinians were injured in the attack, one of whom was evacuated to a hospital in moderate condition.
هجوم عنيف.. مشهد اعتداء وهجوم مليشيات المستوطنين على خربة المركز في مسافر يطا جنوب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/DO8jZVXrZM
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 21, 2025
Ukraine would give Russia chunk of territory as part of 28-point US peace plan
A dead body lies at a market destroyed by a Russian airstrike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, November 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)
WASHINGTON — Ukraine would give up a swathe of eastern territory to Russia and slash the size of its army under a sweeping 28-point peace plan backed by US President Donald Trump, according to a draft obtained by AFP.
Kyiv would also pledge never to join NATO, and would not get the Western peacekeepers they have called for, although European warplanes would be stationed in Poland to protect Ukraine.
A US official tells AFP the draft plan includes a powerful security guarantee for Kyiv, modeled on NATO rules, which would commit the US and European allies to respond to any attack on Ukraine.
Russia would meanwhile be readmitted to the G8 group of nations and be rewarded with sanctions relief under the plan, which US officials say was still a “working document.”
The proposal involves major concessions by Kyiv, which has previously refused to cede any land, while appearing to meet many of Moscow’s maximalist demands following its 2022 invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he expected to discuss the plan with Trump “in coming days.” He says any deal must bring a “dignified peace” that respects Kyiv’s sovereignty.
The White House denies reports it had cooked up the proposal with Moscow, saying envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been “quietly” working with both sides for the past month.
Five terrorists killed in IDF strikes after emerging from tunnel in Gaza’s Rafah
Five terror operatives who emerged from a tunnel in eastern Rafah, an area in southern Gaza held by the IDF, were killed in airstrikes a short while ago, the military says.
According to the IDF, troops of the Nahal Brigade spotted the five operatives emerging from the tunnel and approaching forces stationed in the area, “in a way that posed an immediate threat.”
The Israeli Air Force, directed by the ground troops, struck and killed the five operatives, the military adds.
Some 100-200 Hamas terrorists are estimated to be holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line. The US has pressured Israel to allow them safe passage back to Hamas-held areas of Gaza, though Israel has not agreed as of yet.
צה״ל חיסל חוליית מחבלים שיצאה מתשתית טרור תת-קרקעית ברפיח
כוחות צוות הקרב של חטיבת הנח״ל זיהו לפני זמן קצר חמישה מחבלים שיצאו מתשתית טרור תת-קרקעית במזרח רפיח מעבר לקו הצהוב, והתקרבו לכוחות צה"ל הפרוסים בדרום רצועת עזה, באופן שהיווה עליהם איום מיידי.
חיל האוויר בהכוונת הכוחות… pic.twitter.com/D92evisxkk
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 21, 2025
Smotrich reportedly tells cabinet Jew who works for Iran can be executed under death penalty bill
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that a Jew who works on behalf of Iran could be executed under proposed legislation bringing in the death penalty for terrorism, according to leaked quotes from last night’s security cabinet meeting reported by the Ynet news site.
At the meeting, Shin Bet chief David Zini told ministers that bringing in the death penalty for terrorists is the best deterrent against attacks, according to the quotes.
A representative of the Israel Defense Forces told ministers that the military did not oppose the measure, but is in favor of not making it a mandatory punishment, Ynet reports.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has long championed the idea of the death penalty for terrorists, said “it must be a mandatory punishment,” according to Ynet.
“First of all, because of the attorney general and prosecutors. Everyone knows they will never ask for the death penalty and even if we instruct them, they will tell us that we are not allowed to interfere in sentencing policy. I don’t trust them,” he said, according to the report.
“But Jewish citizens can also be executed,” Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel reportedly responded.
“Whoever acts against the existence of the Jewish people,” Ben Gvir replied, the report says.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly added, “Yes, a Jew that acts on behalf of Iran against the State of Israel can be executed.”
Singapore to sanction four Israelis over ‘extreme violence’ against Palestinians
Illustrative: A Palestinian inspects the damage to a warehouse following an attack by Israeli settlers in the town of Deir Sharaf, west of Nablus, in the West Bank, November 19, 2025. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
SINGAPORE — Singapore will impose financial sanctions on four Israelis and bar them from entering the city-state, its Foreign Affairs Ministry announces, accusing them of “egregious acts of extreme violence” against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The ministry says actions committed in the West Bank by Meir Mordechai Ettinger, Elisha Yered, Bentzi Gopstein, and Baruch Marzel were unlawful and had jeopardized the prospects for a two-state solution.
“As a firm supporter of international law and the two-state solution, Singapore opposes any unilateral attempts to change facts on the ground through acts which are illegal under international law,” it says.
All four individuals have previously been sanctioned by the European Union.
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced in parliament in September that leaders of Israeli settler groups would be sanctioned.
US Coast Guard reverses course on policy to call swastikas ‘potentially divisive’
The US Coast Guard cutter Warren Deyampert is docked as a member of the Coast Guard walks past, June 20, 2023, at Coast Guard Base Boston, in Boston, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The US Coast Guard has released a new, firmer policy addressing the display of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses just hours after it was publicly revealed that it made plans to describe them as “potentially divisive” — a term that prompted outcry from lawmakers and advocates.
“Divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited,” the latest Coast Guard policy, released late yesterday, declared before adding that this category included “a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups.”
“This is not an updated policy but a new policy to combat any misinformation and double down that the US Coast Guard forbids these symbols,” an accompanying Coast Guard press release says.
The late-night change comes on the same day that media outlets, led by The Washington Post, discovered that the Coast Guard had written a policy earlier this month that called those same symbols “potentially divisive.” The term was a shift from a years-long policy, first rolled out in 2019, that said symbols like swastikas and nooses were “widely identified with oppression or hatred” and called their display “a potential hate incident.”
The latest policy that was rolled out last night also unequivocally banned the display of any divisive or hate symbols from all Coast Guard locations. The earlier version stopped short of banning the symbols, instead saying that commanders could take steps to remove them from public view and that the rule did not apply to private spaces not in public view, such as family housing.
Both policies maintained a long-standing prohibition on publicly displaying the Confederate flag outside of a handful of situations, such as educational or historical settings.
The latest Coast Guard policy appears to take effect immediately.
Fire briefly spreads through COP30 pavilion in Brazil, prompting evacuation
BELEM, Brazil — A fire briefly spreads through pavilions being used for UN climate talks in Brazil and prompts evacuations on the next-to-last day of the conference, and officials say 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation.
Organizers say the fire was controlled in about six minutes. Fire officials order the evacuation of the entire site for the conference, known as COP30, and the venue remained closed for about seven hours following the fire.
Attendees trickle back into the COP30 venue after it reopened. Some posed for pictures in the nighttime glow of the signage at the entrance. Others return to rooms further from the pavilions to resume negotiations or to retrieve belongings that had been left behind. Security staff are stationed behind metal barricades to keep people out of the pavilions and a curtain veiled off the area that the blaze had destroyed.
NOW – Fire at COP30 "Climate Summit" in Brazil. pic.twitter.com/zL4942BxER
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) November 20, 2025
Levin lashes out at court for freezing his appointment of Sde Teiman probe overseer
Justice Minister Yariv Levin hits out at the High Court of Justice for issuing an injunction halting his appointment of a retired judge to lead the probe into the former military advocate general.
“The whitewashing enterprise under the auspices of the Supreme Court broke a new record tonight for shame,” Levin says in a statement.
Trump tells freed hostage Matan Angrest he’s a ‘living testimony’ to toughness of Jewish people
US President Donald Trump speaks to a group of former Israeli hostages in the White House on November 20, 2025. (Screenshot/X)
US President Donald Trump singles out freed hostage Matan Angrest in his comments during a meeting at the White House with a group of former Israeli captives.
“Because of his service in the IDF, Matan was subjected to severe beatings, even at times losing consciousness. Alone and under special guard, he went through hell,” Trump says in a video from the meeting shared by the Hostages Families Forum.
במהלך הפגישה עם שורדי השבי, הנשיא טראמפ פנה למתן אנגרסט: "עברת גיהנום אמיתי; אתה עדות לחוסן של העם היהודי"@michalpeylan pic.twitter.com/ZXs84v8kSL
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) November 20, 2025
“Matan never broke, and today he’s a living testimony to the toughness, heart, and faith of the Jewish people. I’m telling you, you’re a great inspiration to everybody,” Trump adds.
Addressing the group, which includes 26 former hostages, including 17 who were freed last month, the US president says that “it’s an honor to get to know all of you, I know some of you already, I know some of the previous hostages that we got out very well. We love you all, and our country loves you all… you’re amazing people.”
Trump also hands each of the freed hostages his presidential challenge coin, according to footage shared by the White House.
President Trump personally gives each freed Israeli hostage his presidential challenge coin ❤️ pic.twitter.com/fmVwKo4ERT
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) November 20, 2025
Pollard defends Huckabee after meeting leak, says ‘abhorrent’ Kushner, Witkoff working for Saudi and Qatar
Jonathan Pollard, a former US Navy analyst who spent three decades in prison for spying for Israel, in Jerusalem, August 31, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Jonathan Pollard says he sought the recently revealed meeting with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to thank the Trump envoy for his efforts to secure his release from prison after the former US Navy analyst was convicted of spying for Israel.
He speculates in an interview with i24News that the meeting that Huckabee kept off the books was leaked to The New York Times by those in the Trump administration who are more isolationist or hostile to Israel to discredit the US ambassador and possibly have him removed from office.
“If I could guess, I would say it’s that [the American intelligence] community, particularly the CIA station in the embassy, that probably was the one that initiated this whole effort to discredit the ambassador,” Pollard says.
While Pollard defends Huckabee, he says he “despises” Trump’s other top aides, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
“For people like that to carry on with terrorists who murdered our people and who have organized efforts to discredit Israel, I find abhorrent,” Pollard says.
“Steve Witkoff can meet with the people who ordered our people to be butchered on October 7, and nobody seems to think that’s a problem because, ‘Well, he’s working on peace.’ No, he’s working on his bank account,” he continues.
“They did everything in their power to prevent us from winning in Gaza. They are representatives — not of the United States, but of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and secondarily, Turkey,” Pollard claims.
“If immediately after the living hostages were released, we unleashed, as he said, ‘hell’ on Hamas and finished them off. I would have said that everything that had led up to that point in terms of negotiating and discussions to secure the release of the hostages would have been worthwhile,” Pollard adds.
“But right now, the 20-point peace plan that the president has imposed on us undermines our independence and threatens the security of our country.”
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