This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
U.S. President Trump is set to cut funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees – which has extensively reported ties to the Hamas terror group – and withdraw the U.S. from the controversial U.N. Human Rights Council, according to the New York Post.
Trump will sign an executive order implementing the changes Tuesday, the same day he is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Bibi Netanyahu's coming on Tuesday, and I think we have some very big meetings scheduled," the president told reporters on Sunday after returning to Washington from his Palm Beach, Fla. residence.
Both organizations have a lengthy track record of vexing Israel and Trump had pursued those same actions in his first term. Former President Biden restored funding for UNRWA and returned the U.S. to the HRC in his term.
Trump urges congressional leaders to OK $1 billion in arms sales to Israel
The Trump White House has asked congressional leaders to approve about $1 billion in weapons sales to Israel, according to U.S. officials.
The sales would include more than $700 million in 1,000-pound bombs (4,700 in total), along with armored bulldozers worth more than $300 million, the officials said.
According to JNS, the 1,000-pound bombs, referred to as "general purpose bombs," consist of 4,500 BLU-110s and 200 Mk-83s.
Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers also are part of the sale. Although they are used to defend Israeli soldiers clearing explosives, and to protect infantry camps, their sale has faced scrutiny from anti-Israel progressives in Congress because of Israel's past use of them to demolish terrorists' homes.
Trump set to reimpose 'maximum pressure' on Islamic regime in Tehran
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign a presidential memorandum on Tuesday which restores his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran and aims to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, a U.S. official said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The move brings back the tough U.S. policy on Iran which Trump implemented throughout his first term. The president has accused his Democratic predecessor, former president Joe Biden, of weakening U.S. resolve toward Iran.
The official told Reuters, Trump's directive orders the U.S. Treasury secretary to impose "maximum economic pressure" on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions.
New intelligence obtained by the U.S. indicates Iran is exploring faster ways to develop a nuclear weapon, according to the New York Times, and reported in Israel Hayom.
This development comes as Iran's relatively new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has conveyed messages indicating his interest in engaging in dialogue with the new U.S. administration.
In addition, the Times reported this intelligence was gathered in the final months of the Biden administration, and was transferred to Trump's team during the transition of power.
Officials who spoke with the Times stated intelligence assessments warned Iranian weapons engineers and scientists have been searching for a shortcut, which would allow them to convert Iran's growing stockpile of enriched uranium into a functional atomic weapon within months, should Iran ultimately decide to produce a nuclear bomb.
IDF report highlights air-defense failures on Oct. 7
Israel's air-defense system failed to intercept half of the rockets fired by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Hebrew media.
The finding is based on an Israel Defense Forces investigation whose findings were presented to the military's chief of staff.
According to the Jewish News Syndicate, it is unclear how many rockets impacted Israeli cities and towns, but
the Gaza-based terrorist organization launched a total of 3,700 rockets in the first four hours of the attack. Fourteen people were killed by Hamas rockets, seven of them in unprotected Bedouin communities.
The relatively low number of casualties was attributed to sirens warning residents of incoming rockets. The sirens were activated on time and enabled civilians to enter protected areas, according to the report.
It further noted a number of Iron Dome air defense batteries in the Gaza Envelope suffered unspecified failures in the initial minutes of the assault, resulting in a total lack of interceptions from these batteries.
In the first 20 minutes of the attack, Hamas fired an unprecedented 1,400 rockets into Israel. Many Iron Dome batteries were depleted in the face of the massive barrage, according to Israel's Channel 12.
IDF widens Jenin operation as it uses lessons learned in Gaza
Israeli security forces operated throughout Judea and Samaria in January, working to thwart terror activities.
Over the course of the month, the forces eliminated around 55 terrorists, including those involved in terrorist attacks in which Israeli civilians were killed, as well as terrorists who were on their way to carry out an attack. The forces also arrested 380 wanted suspects, according to Israel National News.
The aim is to destroy terrorist infrastructure, clear explosive devices on main routes and kill or arrest terrorists. An explosive and weapon-production lab was found and destroyed in Tulkarm and five suspects were detained. At the same time, forces detained terrorism suspects in Jenin and prepared the surrounding for an extensive stay in the refugee camp.
The operations now focus on three key points: Jenin, Tulkarm, and a concentration of five towns where the forces are working with tanks.
Over the past few days, the forces located significant weapons caches, including pistols, rifles, and many explosives.
Wave of intra-Arab violence erupts in Israel with 6 dead
A doctor was shot dead inside a clinic in Kafr Yasif on Monday evening, hours after a teenage boy was killed in Lod – the fifth and sixth homicide victims within the Arab community since midnight, the Times of Israel reported.
Police said the suspects fled the scene after opening fire on their victim, Dr. Abdallah Qasem Awad, a pediatrician from Mazra'a who had been filling in for another doctor at the time.
Paramedics who arrived shortly after the shooting declared Awad dead on the spot. Officers opened an investigation into the incident, but did not immediately arrest any suspects.
Earlier the same day, a teenage boy was fatally shot in Lod.
The 14-year-old Ramle resident was critically injured alongside two others in Pardes Snir neighborhood. All three were taken to the hospital, where doctors pronounced his death.
Arab League secretary-general: Trump's Gaza relocation plan 'existential threat to Palestinian cause'
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stated in Cairo on Sunday that Israel aims to render the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, WAFA, the official PA news agency, reported. Aboul Gheit made this remark during a meeting with U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim, Sigrid Kaag.
"Israel's objective is to make the Gaza Strip unlivable, creating a situation that is both unacceptable and a clear violation of international law," Aboul Gheit said, suggesting that "the forced displacement of Palestinians is an existential threat," the Jewish Press reported.
He stressed that without concrete efforts to establish a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, the region would remain perpetually at risk of spiraling into further cycles of violence.
Majority of Israelis back Trump's Gaza relocation plan
A poll conducted for the JPPI shows a large majority of Israeli Jews in favor of President Donald Trump's plan to relocate the displaced population of Gaza – some 2.4 million people – from the Strip to Egypt and Jordan, JFeed reported.
According to the JPPI's statement:
Survey respondents were asked about their stance on President Trump's proposal to relocate Gaza Arabs to another country.
43% of all Israelis believe the Trump plan is "practical" and should be pursued. A small majority of 52% of Jews in Israel think similarly. An additional 30% of Jews responded the plan is "not practical, but hopefully" – meaning they support it but don't believe it has a real chance of being realized. In total, more than eight out of ten Jews in Israel support the plan.
Overall, about 14% of all Israelis (13% of Jews) consider the plan a "distraction" – a response that doesn't express explicit opposition but shows reluctance to engage with it.
The percentage of Israelis who believe the president's proposal is "immoral" because it involves a "transfer that cannot be accepted" is 13%, with almost all of these being Arabs (a majority of 54% of Arabs responded this way). Among Jews, only 3% believe the proposal is "immoral."
Two IDF reservists killed in Samaria terrorist attack
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and eight more were wounded when a terrorist opened fire at a military post near the village of Tayasir in northern Samaria on Tuesday morning, reported the Jewish news Syndicate.
The slain troops were identified by the military as IDF Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ofer Yung, 39, a squad commander in the Ephraim Regional Brigade's 8211th Reserve Battalion, from Tel Aviv, and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzivka Friedman, 43, a soldier in the battalion, from Ein Hanatziv.
According to an initial IDF probe, the terrorist managed to take up a position near the entrance of the military post and fired on troops as they exited. The terrorist was said to have exchanged fire with troops inside the post for several minutes before being killed.
Dept. of Education launches investigations into five universities over anti-Semitic harassment
The Department of Education is taking its first major action under the new administration to combat anti-Semitism, launching investigations into alleged anti-Semitic discrimination at Columbia University; the University of California, Berkeley; Portland State University; Northwestern University and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
The Department of Education under the Biden administration pursued anti-Semitism cases after complaints had been filed by students and organizations representing them. These new cases, however, are being launched proactively, giving the Department of Education broader investigative latitude.
"Too many universities have tolerated widespread anti-Semitic harassment and the illegal encampments that paralyzed campus life last year, driving Jewish life and religious expression underground," Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary of education for civil rights, said in a statement. "The Biden Administration's toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable."
Trainor said the announcements serve to put "universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses, nor will it stand by idly if universities fail to combat Jew hatred and the unlawful harassment and violence it animates."
Netanyahu meets Elon Musk in Washington, D.C.
After landing in Washington on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of social media site X, who also recently began his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration, Israel National News reported.
According to a report in Channel 14 News, also taking part in the meeting was David Sacks, who was appointed by Trump as the White House AI and Crypto czar. During the lengthy meeting, the report said, the prime minister requested and secured cooperation from both Musk and Sacks on all matters related to artificial intelligence, for a full partnership between the U.S. and Israel in this field.
Additionally, it was reported at the conclusion of the meeting, the trio formulated a working plan for the near future and the longer term for integrating Israeli forces into American programs. The meeting is expected to benefit Israel's cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence industries for years to come.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, two possible venues for likely Trump-Putin summit
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions said.
Trump has said he will end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible and said he is ready to meet with Putin. Putin congratulated Trump on his election and stated he is ready to meet the president to discuss Ukraine and energy, according to the Algemeiner.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied any direct contacts with the U.S. about preparations for a phone call between Trump and Putin, which would precede an eventual meeting later this year.
However, senior Russian officials have visited both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent weeks, according to the Russian sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
One source said there was still some opposition to the idea in Russia as some diplomats and intelligence officials were pointing to the close military and security links both the Kingdom and the UAE have with the United States.
U.S. DOJ forms anti-Semitism task force
The U.S. Justice Department announced on Monday the launch of a task force to combat anti-Semitism in schools and college campuses.
The force is set to include representatives from the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Service, with efforts being coordinated via the Department's Civil Rights Division, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, who is also set to lead the task force, noted, "Anti-Semitism in any environment is repugnant to this nation's ideals."
He added, "The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found. The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
Biden quietly funneled $3 million to Palestinian Authority for 'security training' after its members carried out attacks on Israelis
The Biden administration, weeks before leaving power, funneled more than $3 million in taxpayer cash to the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, according to a nonpublic notice transmitted to Congress that was reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Jan. 3 funding notice outlined more than $20 million in funding for regional security projects, including those in Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Jordan. Just over $3 million of these funds were earmarked for the PASF, which the United States is training to handle security operations in the war-torn Gaza Strip. As it does so, the PASF is reportedly seeking more than $680 million from the American government over the next four years.
Jerusalem Old City store owner arrested for selling books by Sinwar, Nasrallah
Israeli security forces arrested the owner of a bookstore in the Old City of Jerusalem over the weekend on suspicion of selling pro-terror inciting material, including works by slain senior Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Yahya Sinwar, the Israel Police announced on Monday.
The bookstore was discovered after police officers searched the bag of a female suspect in the Old City and found the pro-terrorism content, according to the statement. During questioning, she claimed to have purchased the materials from a nearby bookshop a short time earlier, JNS reported.
Officers of the Israel Police's David Precinct, which is situated close to the Old City's Jaffa Gate, subsequently discovered the store was selling numerous books containing "inciting and terrorist content, the sale and distribution of which is prohibited."
In addition to the publications by Nasrallah and Sinwar, the bookstore also sold writings of Abdullah Barghouti – a Palestinian bombmaker responsible for multiple attacks, which claimed the lives of 66 people.
