Video: Danny Danon at the summit / Credit: Flowmotion

He gave an example: "President Macron arrived in Israel. I will send troops to fight against Hamas, but then became the leader of the opposition to Israel at the UN and made the conference to establish a Palestinian state. I prefer to be where we are today – We have to deal with the campaign against Israel but we are winning the war. We showed the world you don't mess with Israel. The days when you massacre Israeli and there is no response, those days are over. When you kill Israelis, we will come out to get you."

Video: The Israel Hayom Summit / Credit: Flowmotion

Asked if PM Netanyahu could face arrest if he arrived in New York once Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor. "We saw a candidate who used antisemitism in his campaign and got elected. We cannot ignore it." He noted, "We have a strong Jewish community in New York, I am sure Netanyahu will come to New York. With all due respect, Mayor-Elect Mamdani, you don't decide who comes to New York."

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The request was delivered to the legal department at the President's Residence by Netanyahu's attorney. It was then transferred to the Pardons Department in the Justice Ministry, which will compile the relevant legal opinions from various officials in the ministry. These opinions will then be forwarded to the legal adviser at the President's Residence and staff, who will prepare an additional opinion for the president.

Officials at the President's Residence emphasized that this is an exceptional request with far reaching implications. Once all opinions are received, the president will examine the matter responsibly and with due seriousness. The request includes two documents: a detailed letter signed by Netanyahu's attorney, and a letter signed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Given the unusual importance of the request and its implications, the documents were released to the public.

"The public interest points in another direction"

In his letter to Herzog, Netanyahu did not admit guilt or express remorse. "In recent years, tensions and disagreements between different parts of the nation and between various branches of government have intensified," he wrote. "I am aware that the legal proceedings in my case have become a focal point of fierce political strife. I bear broad public and moral responsibility and understand the consequences of all these events. For this reason, and despite my personal interest in managing the trial and proving my innocence until full acquittal, I believe the public interest points in another direction."

Netanyahu added that as prime minister, driven by a sense of public responsibility to help bring reconciliation among the people, he had no doubt that ending the trial would help reduce the flames of the dispute that has formed around it. Facing the security challenges and diplomatic opportunities confronting the State of Israel, he said he was "committed to doing everything possible to heal internal divisions, achieve national unity and restore public trust in state institutions", and that he expected all senior state officials to "do the same."

The request stated that the prime minister had believed from the start, and still believes today, that if the legal proceedings continue to their conclusion they would end in full acquittal. He had and has extensive criticism of the conduct of law enforcement authorities in handling his case, and this has been proven and continues to be proven in the courtroom today. For many years, the prime minister was determined to prove these claims in every lawful way available to him.

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The Supreme Court determined that the state must move quickly to devise effective enforcement protocols for Ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. Although the new bill currently being deliberated at the Knesset aims to do that, the court has yet to weigh in on whether it meets that requirement. The plan must incorporate significant steps that involve criminal prosecution, as well as broad complementary actions in the economic and civil spheres.

"The state is not authorized to refrain from drafting yeshiva students, without a legislative arrangement that allows distinguishing between them and the rest of those obligated to draft," the ruling stated. The court stressed that the government must cease granting economic benefits to evaders, stating, "As a rule, the continued granting of benefits given in direct or indirect connection to evasion of the draft duty cannot be allowed, for example those granted to a yeshiva student as such, when his presence in the yeshiva implies evasion of the draft duty." They noted that the inequality between the general public's mandatory military sevice and the de facto blanket exemption ejoyed by Haredim, was discriminatory. "This is all the more painful since Oct. 7," they wrote.

A senior official in Agudat Yisrael responded to the court decision and said, "Pass a law regulating the status of yeshiva students immediately." Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer told Army Radio, "The State of Israel needs soldiers and fighters, we need deeds and not wasting time. We will not agree to any unworthy law. It is expected to see practical actions like filling the Hashmonayim Brigade before advancing a law."

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Under the decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will appoint a ministerial committee that will recommend the mandate for the inquiry's framework. The ministerial committee is required to present its conclusions within 45 days. In addition, within 60 days the inquiry body will also be required to update the High Court of Justice on its findings.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid protested the decision, saying: "There is broad public consensus in favor of a state commission of inquiry. Their refusal to investigate their own failures endangers national security and is an insult and an escape from responsibility toward the soldiers and the families who have sacrificed so much since October 7."

The Zulat Institute, which is leading the petition by 86 former elected officials demanding the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, stated: "The meaning of the decision by the government of Israel today is one: a state commission of inquiry into the greatest failure since the establishment of the state will not be established. Instead, it will set up a ministerial committee to blur the investigation of the failure. This is the biggest cover-up attempt since the establishment of the state, a failure of thousands of murdered and wounded and entire towns that were overrun. In the coming days we will use every legal avenue so that the High Court orders the establishment of a state commission of inquiry."

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Video: The Siegels appearing at the United Nations on November 12, 2025

During the session, Donenfeld presented Israel's complete commitment to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, urged committee members to adhere to facts and law, and requested they avoid echoing antisemitic propaganda.

He stated, "The testimonies we heard here today aren't just personal stories – they're a moral and legal indictment against the world's silence. The State of Israel is fully committed to the principles of the Convention for the Prevention of Torture and ensuring human dignity wherever it may be."

He continued, "This commitment can't be one-sided. The international community's silence facing torture, kidnappings, and abuse violates the very spirit of the Convention. The Convention mustn't remain just a document – it must be a moral compass demanding action."

Keith Siegel testified, "I'm not asking for your mercy. I'm asking you to ensure the horrors the terrorists committed against me and others in captivity never happen again." He recounted being held captive for 50 days alongside his wife Aviva until her release, then held sometimes with other captives and sometimes in complete isolation.

In total, he spent roughly six months entirely alone. "At 66, cut off from the world, terrified, not knowing what happened to my loved ones. Just for 'amusement,' the guards would compare our body parts with another captive's, threaten us with knives, humiliate us, prevent us from using the bathroom until we couldn't hold it anymore."

He added, "Every basic human right was stripped from me. I was starved and even denied water. More than once, terrorists forced me to strip before them and shaved my body."

Aviva Siegel, Keith's wife, also testified before the committee. "When we were taken underground in Gaza, there was a child from my community. The Hamas terrorists bound his hands with plastic cuffs. He was covered in blood, we were covered in blood, and afterward, when one of the terrorists came to remove his cuffs, he cut his hand. I wanted to scream, and I saw the terrorist smiling while doing it."

She continued, "For 51 days, I was certain I'd die any moment. They threatened me, starved me, gave me insufficient water, I lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in 51 days. I'd hide food for Keith. I saw him, he lost weight. We lost weight while the terrorists gained weight – they ate and chewed before us while giving us nothing."

She further described, "One day, one of the young women emerged from the shower trembling. I wasn't permitted to hug her, but I hugged her regardless. After some time, she told us one of the terrorists touched her entire body and did whatever he wanted with her. There was also another young woman taken by a terrorist to the shower, told to undress, and forced to perform oral sex on him and smile afterward."

She added, "Additionally, a 16-year-old girl was forced to shower before one of the terrorists. She's 16 – she'd never shown her body to anyone, and a Hamas terrorist just stood there, looked at her, and smiled."

Aviva described the helplessness in captivity. "The terrible thing for me was watching them torture my husband Keith and what they did to the girls. I was forbidden to hug, offer help, or cry. I tried constantly to maintain my humanity. They forced us to lie down from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 a.m. the next morning, we were forbidden to move. My body ached, I wanted to stretch, sit, scream 'Just let me sit five minutes' – they wouldn't allow it. They threatened to kill me."

She continued, "One night I extended my leg from under the blanket, a Hamas terrorist came and screamed at me that I'm not allowed to do that. It sounds like something small, but that's the control level they had over us constantly. Most of the time I suffered stomach pains and diarrhea because they gave us contaminated water. I'm 62 and had to request permission to use the bathroom."

Justice Ministry Director General Donenfeld thanked the delegation members for their professional and dedicated work throughout the recent period, given the numerous challenges they faced. The Israeli delegation included senior representatives from the Justice Ministry, Foreign Ministry, National Security Council, Israel Police, Prison Service, Population and Immigration Authority, and the Military Advocate General's office. They were accompanied by captivity survivors Aviva and Keith Siegel, residents of Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

The delegation's appearance was conducted as part of implementing the State of Israel's commitments within the framework of the International Convention Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which convenes every four years and follows submission of Israel's sixth periodic report on implementing the Convention, submitted to the committee in 2020.

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A police source said, "The phone had battery for six days. It may have been turned off or in airplane mode. We knew more or less the area where the phone should have been located, but it's not a tank that can be easily found."

A witness at HaTzuk Beach claimed a woman who went swimming suddenly found the phone. The drama unfolded just before the former military prosecutor was set to be released to house arrest for 10 days. The former prosecutor had provided the password to her phone in advance, for when it would be found.

In a hearing held Friday morning at Tel Aviv's Hashalom court, judges discussed imposing restrictive conditions on the former Chief Military Prosecutor Tomer-Yerushalmi. Following the proceedings, she was released to house arrest for 10 days. A contact ban was imposed on all those involved in the case until December 31, and a personal guarantee of 10,000 shekels ($2,820) was required. Additionally, the former prosecutor's brother, Assaf Tomer, will sign as guarantor for her arrest conditions. The former prosecutor will be able to receive permission to leave her home to meet with her lawyers with advance approval from the police.

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Katz said he intended to begin the process of appointing a new chief military prosecutor "as soon as possible," noting that the position carries responsibility for enforcing the law and setting legal norms across the IDF.

Under normal procedure, Tomer-Yerushalmi's deputy would automatically assume her duties. However, due to what sources described as a recent "escalation in tone" between the Defense Ministry and the Military Advocate General's Corps, the deputy is not expected to be appointed. According to defense sources, Chief Military Prosecutor Eli Lavertov is being considered to serve as acting head until a permanent replacement is chosen.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said in a statement that Tomer-Yerushalmi had asked to end her tenure immediately, and that the chief of staff accepted her request. "He will act to stabilize the Military Advocate General's Corps and safeguard IDF soldiers," the statement read. "The chief of staff is confident that a thorough investigation will uncover the full truth."

According to military sources, the head spokesperson for the Military Advocate General's Office was slated to be appointed as a military judge and underwent standard polygraph and Shin Bet background checks for the role. It was during these vetting procedures, they said, that information surfaced revealing the identity of those who leaked a sensitive video from the Tze'elim Base in southern Israel.

The affair broke earlier this week following new information indicating that the source of the leak was a senior officer within the Military Advocate General's Office. In response, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed police to open a formal investigation, and Tomer-Yerushalmi announced she would take a leave of absence pending its outcome.

Police are expected to summon Tomer-Yerushalmi and several senior legal officers for questioning under caution in the coming days. Investigators suspect that she was personally aware of, and possibly involved in, the plan to leak the footage. Israel Hayom has learned that former IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. (res.) Daniel Hagari and the military censor may also be called to provide testimony.

Officials familiar with the details said the leak itself is "the less serious aspect of the affair," adding that "the real issue lies in the suspected cover up attempt and the submission of false reports to the High Court of Justice and to the Knesset."

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The statement clarified that a criminal investigation has been launched regarding the video's publication, with potential involvement of Military Advocate General personnel being probed. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir approved the chief military prosecutor's leave request, "pending clarification of additional details on the matter," the statement said.

In July 2024, the Military Police initiated an investigation into suspected abuse of a Palestinian terrorist at the Sde Teiman facility. Throughout the investigation, a video recording the soldiers' purported conduct leaked to media outlets, displaying an assault on the terrorist by five reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention center. The accused soldiers rejected the suspicions, asserting they acted to control a terrorist who assaulted them and that the force they employed was proportionate. Right-wing sources argued the leak harms Israel as a moral nation.

Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to the decision, saying, "Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir informed me that following a criminal investigation proceeding in the Sde Teiman recording leak matter, and examination of Military Prosecution personnel involvement in the matter, the decision was made that the chief military prosecutor would take leave. I welcome and back the decision – we're talking about a serious matter that generated a blood libel against IDF soldiers domestically and internationally, and it must be examined and investigated completely."

The attorney general's office also announced an investigation would commence, with the High Court of Justice updated on the development. "Following information obtained recently, the attorney general decided to instruct the opening of a criminal investigation concerning offenses related to publishing the video from the Sde Teiman matter. At this stage, as the investigation continues, no additional details can be disclosed."

MK Tzvi Succot reacted on X to the IDF spokesperson's announcement regarding the investigation's launch. "Amid Israel's most difficult war in history, the chief military prosecutor opted to accuse IDF fighters as though they participated in raping terrorists. The video leaked from investigation materials in the chief military prosecutor's custody, along with the groundless charges the chief military prosecutor circulated about the fighters, transformed into insane anti-Israel propaganda globally during wartime – straight to jail!"

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin also commented, noting the timing with legislation passage dividing the attorney general's position. "It's no coincidence that right after passing the bills concerning legal counsel to the government in preliminary Knesset reading, we learned about the decision to authorize launching a criminal investigation in the Sde Teiman matter, and about the chief military prosecutor's leave. Appointing the Shin Bet chief and the Public Ombudsman for Judges, along with promoting legal legislation and the resolute struggle to reveal truth and apply equal enforcement, are generating historic transformation before our eyes. I'll persist fearlessly until justice is entirely achieved."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated, "The investigation concerning Sde Teiman and the chief military prosecutor's 'leave' departure represents a dramatic shift in protecting democracy from criminal behavior disguised as legal action. Everyone implicated in the matter should be held accountable, including the Attorney General herself, who initially attempted to sabotage the investigation with a deceptive High Court of Justice statement."

At Honenu, the organization defending several soldiers charged in the Sde Teiman matter, officials praised the investigation's opening regarding the video leak. The organization now weighs stopping the mediation procedure in the case and demanding indictment withdrawal against Unit 100 fighters. Attorneys Adi Keidar, Nati Rom, and Moshe Polsky described this as an essential measure, arguing the video leak aimed to tarnish the fighters' standing and harmed the IDF's and state's reputation.

Simultaneously, Honenu's lawsuit against Channel 12 News, reporter Guy Peleg, and the IDF for 2 million shekels ($564,000) in defamation damages regarding the video's publication is currently under consideration. The attorneys additionally insisted that all personnel connected to the matter's investigation be removed from their roles.

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To prevent the takeover, the organizations petitioned the Jerusalem District Court for temporary ex parte restraining orders, which were granted.

According to the organizations, the case began in 2020, when Mordecai Veberman began an unexpected approach to the Anglican Church and was even officially baptized into Christianity. During these years, Veberman found employment at CMJ (Church's Ministry among Jewish People) – a British organization founded in 1809 that has operated in Jerusalem for nearly 200 years. This is the parent organization to which the Vincent Association and the Israeli Trust of the Anglican Church belong, which operate the church's school and hold the historic properties.

According to the organizations, as time passed, Veberman grew closer to Vincent's CEO, Father Darryl, who recently left his position. Veberman managed to infiltrate the community ranks, expressed interest in joining the pastoral track in the church, worked in the organizations and established personal relationships with key figures in CMJ in Israel and abroad. The trust that CMJ representatives placed in Veberman "The trust that CMJ representatives placed in him was so complete that, because most organization representatives do not speak Hebrew, they signed Hebrew documents at his request without receiving translations, relying entirely on his explanations of their content."

According to the organizations, last month they accidentally discovered a shocking detail – companies that according to the court petition are owned by Veberman and his business partners, hold agreements that are purported to be sales agreements for two real estate properties – the Anglican school at 82 Hanevi'im Street and the old "Voice of Israel" building at 25 Petruschka Street.

The school, purchased by the church in the 1840s, is a complex spanning 15,058 square meters (162,089 square feet). The school educates approximately 230 students annually from kindergarten through high school, many of them children of diplomats staying in Israel. According to the organizations, this is a property whose value is "priceless." The "Voice of Israel" building at 25 Petruschka Street was purchased by the organization in the early 20th century.

In any case, according to the documents accidentally discovered by organization personnel, the Petruschka Street building was allegedly sold for 7.5 million shekels (about $2.2 million), and the Anglican school for 60 million shekels (about $17.9 million).

According to the documents, at the signing ceremony, the companies owned by Veberman and his business partners were supposed to pay Vincent Association 9 million shekels (about $2.7 million) for the school and 1 million shekels (about $300,000) for the Petruschka Street building. However, according to the organizations, no sales transactions were discussed.

The sale of the Anglican school and the Petruschka building was not on the agenda, and in any case the transactions were not properly approved by the organization institutions and CMJ. Moreover, the signatures were allegedly accompanied by a forged seal (according to the organization, it has had no seal for the past five years), and the two people who appear as alleged signatories cannot read Hebrew and never intended to sign sale agreements. According to the court petition, the signatures on the sale agreements on behalf of the organization in Hebrew were obtained by deceiving office holders who do not speak Hebrew.

As part of the petition, the organizations claim that Mordechai Veberman and his attorney, Kobi Ifrach, used forged documents and false powers of attorney designed to create an impression of a sale approval process in the organization's institutions.

According to the organizations, the only transaction discussed with Veberman and his partners that was actually approved was a combination deal in the Petruschka building, and that it was agreed that Vincent Association would remain the landowner. According to them, the subject of selling the school was not discussed at all. The organizations are represented by attorneys Odelia Ofer and Goni Blumfeld from the Herzog Fox Neeman law firm.

The petition further claims that Veberman "played a double game" – on one hand he acted as someone who belonged to the community of believers and claimed he was interested in donating money to the organizations and helping them, and on the other hand allegedly planned to defraud and deceive them and take over their properties. The organizations said that discovering the transactions clarified that this was a "Trojan horse," and that they intend to file a police complaint.

Attorney Kobi Ifrach stated, "First, I have no personal acquaintance with Mordechai Veberman. I met him two years ago in another transaction where I represented the other side. Second, I have never forged documents and/or powers of attorney. Third, some of the signatories are Hebrew speakers and are indeed proficient in reading and writing. Fourth, I have never presented any false document. I am sorry that a large and respected law firm accuses a colleague of serious matters with unrestrained attacks before checking the facts. I am confident that the court will decide that no fault was found in my work as the church's attorney."

No response was received from Veberman by the deadline for closing this edition and publishing the story. His response to the court has also not yet been filed.

Ironically, just days ago the British Christian newspaper Evangelicals Now published a celebratory article about Veberman from CMJ's annual conference. In the article, he was presented as a success story – a former military rabbi who converted to Christianity and told a gathering of 400 people how he "came home" to Messianic Judaism. "I stand before you not as someone who left Judaism, but as someone who found its fulfillment," Veberman was quoted as saying. Days after that, the organizations discovered the affair.

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This is an exceptionally high compensation package by Israeli standards, and the largest ever awarded to a person who was convicted, served time, and was later exonerated. Following the negotiations, the state submitted the settlement Thursday to the Tel Aviv District Court for approval.

The State Attorney's Office declined to comment. Zadorov's attorneys, Yoram Halevy and Galit Karner, said, "No comment."

Zadorov was convicted in September 2010 of murdering 13-year-old Tair Rada in a bathroom stall at the Nofei Golan school in Katzrin, where he worked and lived. He confessed during questioning, was indicted for murder, and was unanimously convicted by the Nazareth District Court in 2010, receiving a life sentence. Two and a half years later, his conviction was reaffirmed on appeal. His subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected.

In 2021, his request for a retrial was accepted, and in March 2023, the Nazareth District Court acquitted him in a two-to-one ruling. Presiding Judge Asher Kula determined that Zadorov's confession had been coerced and was therefore false.

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