President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Robert O’Brien, who has served as the U.S. hostage negotiator, as his new national security adviser, replacing the ousted John Bolton.
“I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department, as our new National Security Advisor,” Trump said in a tweet. “I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!”
O’Brien, who becomes Trump’s fourth national security adviser, was boosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with whom he had worked on a number of hostage cases.

Leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party Avigdor Lieberman, who according to exit polls will play the kingmaker in the coalition negotiations following Israel’s Tuesday elections, said that he would accept only one outcome — a national unity government.
The exit polls show that Lieberman’s secular-nationalist party has won 8-10 seats in the next Knesset, with the right-wing Likud and centrist Blue and White parties essentially tied at around 30 seats and the right-religious and center-left blocs hovering around 55 seats, giving neither side a working majority without him.
Lieberman addressed his supporters Tuesday night and appeared to flex his muscles, saying, “There is only one option: a broad liberal government made up of the Likud, Blue and White and Yisrael Beiteinu.”

Hillary Clinton accused President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., of “abdicating their responsibility” on election security during a pointed speech Tuesday in which she also took aim at Trump for his repeated claims about voter fraud.
In a speech delivered at a conference in Washington, the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nominee applauded the Democratic-led House for passing legislation designed to strengthen election systems in the wake of Russian interference.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praises US President Donald Trump’s announcement that his administration is upping sanctions on Iran.
“Iran’s aggression has increased of late, including in the Gulf, and this is precisely the time to increase pressure and sanctions. I am pleased that President Trump has done exactly this,” Netanyahu says in a statement.
Read more at Times of Israel.
{Matzav.com}

“And those with understanding hearts walk around and around, tasting, at all times, small droplets from
that great sweetness of the Heavenly Delight which illuminates our eternity.”
– Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook zt”l
“On the way to the bar, one also needs a drink.”
– Chabad Anthem
Perhaps the most famous and foundational anecdote in Chassidic lore describes a meeting between the Baal Shem Tov HaKadosh, in a state of aliyas Neshama, and the soul of Moshiach.
“When is the Master coming?” he asks.
“When your streams extend outward.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled his planned trip next week to New York where he was to address the UN General Assembly.
Netanyahu had been set to deliver one of his signature setpiece speeches to the world body, and was intending to meet on the sidelines of the gathering with US President Donald Trump.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz will speak in Netanyahu’s place.
According to Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, the reason for Netanyahu’s decision was political. The prime minister does not want to be abroad next week when Israeli President Reuven Rivlin receives the official results of Tuesday’s election.
Immediately after getting the final vote tally, Rivlin will task an MK with forming a government.

A Palestinian woman was shot and killed by an Israeli guard when she threatened soldiers with a knife at the Qalandia checkpoint outside Jerusalem early Wednesday morning.
Entering a car lane on foot, the woman, who was in her 50s, aroused the suspicion of the guards, who called out to her to stop.
According to police, the woman did not heed their warnings, instead pulling out a knife.
“As a result of this, a shot was fired at her leg, and she was injured,” said the police in a statement.
Video of the incident circulated on social media, showing the woman being shot, after which a guard quickly kicks away the knife as three other officers draw weapons and begin to secure the area.

Watch: The NYPD’s 79th Precinct and Williamsburg Shomrim are searching for three black youngsters who assaulted a frum man, striking him on his head and stealing his phone at Park Avenue and Warsoff in Williamsburg.

WATCH:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/VIDEO-2019-09-17-22-49-08.mp4

The senior leadership of the Yamina, United Torah Judaism and Shas parties have arrived at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding a possible coordination effort as a united bloc going into coalition negotiations.
With 91% of the vote counted, the right-wing bloc has just 55 seats — not enough to form a coalition on its own.
However, Channel 12 reports Netanyahu is hoping that Rivlin will consider the 55 seat bloc as a single party and therefore agree to task the premier with forming the next government for having a bigger-sized faction than the Blue and White party.

According to official results released by Israel’s Central Elections Committee, with 90% of the ballots counted Blue and White maintains a slight lead over the Likud, with neither bloc clearly positioned to form a majority coalition.
Blue and White: 32
Likud: 31
Joint List: 13
Yisrael Beytenu: 9
Shas: 9
United Torah Judaism: 8
Yamina: 7
Labor: 6
Democratic Camp: 5
—-
Right-wing, religious bloc: 55
Left-wing, secular bloc: 52
Arab parties: 13
(JNS)
{Matzav.com}