Haredi leaders threaten Netanyahu's government
...and so spoke Sheikh Naim Qassem and Sayyed Ali Khamenei.
It looks like that, while I was “away” over a long weekend, both so-called “establishment” and Western mainstream media (MSM) grew weary of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu and suddenly pivoted hard against the Zionist entity called “Israel”, as reported by Simplicius The Thinker and Caitlin Johnstone. But that’s not the only thing that happened in the meantime…
As you probably know, following direct negotiations between the Outlaw US Empire and Hamas, last Monday, 12th May 2025, the latter released the American-Israeli captive Edan Alexander, highlighting its high level of flexibility and willingness to engage, stating that “serious and responsible negotiations lead to results in the release of prisoners”, as reported by Al Mayadeen and by Richard Silverstein, who stressed that it is not the first time that actually the Trump administration manages to secure the release of a hostage via direct talks with Hamas.
US President Donald J. Trump would have liked to meet Edan Alexander in person in Doha (Qatar), but his family refused, allegedly because of his medical conditions. In any case, following the US disengagement from Yemen and the Houthis’ Red Sea blockade (which I covered here), this is another signal from Trump to Netanyahu that things are changing in the relationship between their two countries, regardless of what the latter says. In fact, according to Bibi, Edan Alexander’s release was achieved through “military pressure”… yeah, sure!
One wonders why Edan Alexander refused to meet with Netanyahu soon after his release, as per Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11, cited by Al Mayadeen, which also reported that, while boarding an Israeli military helicopter, Edan held a handwritten sign saying “Thank you, President Trump”. Clearly, Netanyahu is not Edan’s president!
It is also worth reporting that the ongoing Trump’s tour of the Middle East does not include Israel, which is quite remarkable and clearly shows the rift between Trump and Netanyahu, which already started becoming evident three days ago (Sunday 11th May 2025), when Steve Witkoff, Trump administration's Middle East envoy, met with families of Israeli captives held by Hamas and criticized Israel saying (emphasis mine):
We want to bring the hostages home, but Israel is not willing to end the war. Israel is prolonging it despite the fact that we don’t see where else we can go and that an agreement must be reached.
There is currently an opportunity window that we hope Israel and all the mediators will take advantage of. We are putting pressure on all the mediators and doing everything we can to bring the hostages home.
…as per The Jerusalem Post, while Al Mayadeen reported that, before Trump’s visit of the Middle East, families of the Israeli captives published an English-language advertisement in The New York Post stating:
President Trump, we wish you success in your historic trip to the Middle East.
Your vision for peace in the region depends on the release of all 59 hostages held by Hamas. Their return will bring hope for a new reality. We know that bringing them home is a personal mission for you. Our hopes are with you.
…which shows that even Israelis without dual citizenship have much higher esteem for US President Trump than for their own Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu!
(I will not rest on Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia today and his remarks, as I believe they have been covered widely, but, in case you have missed the news, I refer you to these two Al Mayadeen articles: 1 and 2).
However, the main issue for Netanyahu is not Trump’s foreign policy, but a domestic problem that has been exacerbating since last November (2024 - see these three articles: 1, 2 and 3)… and here we come to the core of this article, highlighted in its title, i.e. the threat that senior Israeli ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) leaders issued to Bibi, warning him that his crackdown on Haredi draft dodgers could cause a “political rupture within the governing coalition”, as reported by Al Mayadeen, quoting a senior official from one of the Haredi factions as saying:
If dozens and hundreds of yeshiva1 students are indeed arrested, as we are currently seeing, these will be the government’s last days.
And this is a serious threat, because, without Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), the two key Haredi factions in the government, Benjamin Netanyahu would lose his parliamentary majority, though there is speculation that he could decide to call snap elections in order to pre-empt the “coup”. The problem is: would he be re-elected, considering his “popularity” among Israelis? Maybe not! We will keep an eye on this. Let’s move on now…
…to Lebanon, where, last Monday, 12th May 2025, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem gave a televised speech commemorating the 9th anniversary of the martyrdom of senior resistance commander Mustafa Badreddine. A summary can be found in this Al Mayadeen article. Here are some highlights from Al Mayadeen Short News (all emphasis mine):
The 17th May 1983 Agreement was brought down at the time, and it ended the Israeli annexation plan in Lebanon.
Netanyahu will not be able to deprive the generous Palestinian people of their rights, for they have given everything that can be sacrificed to remain dignified.
The resistance prevented "Israel" from imposing humiliating agreements on Lebanon and implementing its plans.
Martyr Mustafa Badreddine was among the first to fight against the Israeli occupation in Khalde, south of the Lebanese capital, in 1982.
We strongly condemn the Israeli aggression on Syria, and we commend the Syrian people who will prevent "Israel" from achieving its goals on their territory.
We stand with the logic of justice, not submission, and we continue the resistance in defense of Lebanon and its people without allowing the enemy to achieve its goals.
Netanyahu will not be able to strip the Palestinian people of their rights, for they have sacrificed all that they could to preserve their honor.
"Israel" has violated the ceasefire agreement more than 3,000 times since it was announced.
The Resistance has been deterring the Israeli enemy over the past years, and it put an end to the Israeli plans to progressively annex Lebanese territory.
The Resistance prohibited "Israel" from imposing humiliating agreements on Lebanon and attaining its territorial ambitions in it.
"Israel" is now trying to end the resistance through its continued pressure and aggression, but through politics.
The Lebanese state must take more action and confront Israeli violations with greater force.
We are on the side of righteousness, not subjugation. We will continue to resist in defense of Lebanon and its people, preventing the enemy from realizing its ambitions.
If some of them in Lebanon cooperate with the Israeli enemy, this means that they are putting stability on the brink of collapse.
The servants of "Israel"; their sedition has destroyed Lebanon, and they always act in ways that break those around them and destabilize the country.
We say to the servants of "Israel", return to your patriotism so that we can work together.
On the path of Resistance and sacrifice, we offered Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. His martyrdom serves as a beacon that guides our paths to ensure that our Resistance remains strong.
Lebanese officials must prioritize halting Israeli aggression, violations, and occupation, and releasing prisoners.
The second priority is reconstruction, and I call on the Lebanese government to place this item first on the agenda of its next session.
Lebanese officials must also prioritize building the state economically and socially, and returning depositors' money.
When the resistance persists and maintains its strength, the enemy will despair of our power and steadfastness, allowing us to attain greater pride and dignity.
The Lebanese state must act more and confront Israeli violations with greater strength.
Whoever thinks they can isolate the resistance is delusional.
You did not succeed in eliminating us, and you will not succeed. No single component can be isolated, and you will not achieve through pressure what you failed to achieve through war.
We are part of the new era and partners in its benefits, and we want those who previously took certain stances for specific reasons to reconsider them in order to build the country.
Meanwhile, in Iran Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei gave a speech to a group of labourers last Saturday, 10th May 2025, addressing this year’s Iranian slogan, “Investment for Production” and warning that, while some countries are trying to sideline the Palestinian cause, our “minds must not be diverted from Palestine”. Here are some highlights from Khamenei.ir (all emphasis mine):
There are biased policies being employed in the world today against nations in efforts to cause people to forget the issues related to Palestine. Muslim nations must not allow rumors, various talk, and new issues to divert minds from the Palestinian Issue.
The entire world must stand up firmly against the supporters of the Zionist regime. The US is supporting the Zionist regime in the truest sense of the word.
The reality is that the oppressed people of Palestine and Gaza are facing not only the Zionist regime, but also the US and England. Instead of stopping the killing and destruction, they empower and support the criminal regime by sending weapons and equipment.
By God's help, Palestine will ultimately triumph over the Zionist usurpers. The temporary reign of the forces of falsehood will be perished.
Work is the main pillar of human life and its continuity. Without it, life becomes paralyzed. Though science and capital play crucial roles, it is the worker who animates capital and makes progress possible.
Financial investment, without the resolve and capacity of workers, leads nowhere. This is precisely why the enemies of nations, including the enemies of the Islamic Republic, have from the very beginning of the Revolution sought to discourage and provoke the working class against participation in the Islamic Republic’s progress.
In the early days of the Revolution, communist elements tried to bring production to a halt. That same motivation exists today. But then and now, our workers have stood firm and struck those agitators with a firm punch in the mouth.
According to Marxist philosophy, the workplace is one of conflict, and workers are to be enemies of factory owners. With this misguided notion, they stalled themselves and the world for decades. Islam, by contrast, views the workplace as a setting of alliance, cooperation, and synergy. In such a space, both sides must work sincerely to advance the cause of production.
I will conclude this article with the news that Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) are still carrying out military operations against Israel, even after the ceasefire agreement between the YAF and the Outlaw US Empire, which I covered here. In fact, the YAF launched one hypersonic ballistic missile targeting the Ben Gurion airport last night, as per Al Maydaeen and Yemen News Agency Saba, and another one this morning (source: Saba), thus reaffirming the aerial blockade on Israel. Interestingly, the missiles flew over Saudi Arabia, while Trump was over there, as depicted in the caricature below…
A traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature
I hope some of these developments result in food and aid getting into Gaza and an end to the killing. Thanks for posting, Ismaele.
Sorry, I cannot share your optimism on King Donald.
Wait until he gets back to Washington, D.C. to face his Christian Zionist base who will stick on him like stink on a monkey.