A Channel 13 News poll published on Motzei Shabbos shows that if the elections for the 23rd Knesset would be held today, Israel will still be in the same deadlock it’s been in since April. In fact, a B’Chadrei Chareidim report on Motzei Shabbos quoted Channel 12 News political commentator Amit Segal as saying that the Central Election Committee is already talking about a date for Israel’s fourth elections since April. According to the poll, Blue and White would maintain its status as the Knesset’s largest party, winning 35 seats (two more than the previous elections) and the Likud would win 33 seats (one more than the previous elections).

Israel Police raided the Shuva Banim community in Jerusalem early Sunday morning and arrested Rabbi Eliezer Berland and his wife and five other senior figures in the cult-like community on charges of alleged exploitation of sick people and their families as well as money laundering and tax evasion of hundreds of millions of dollars. The police raided the Shuvu Bunim shul about 5 a.m. and brought Rabbi Berland to his home where they carried out a thorough search with the assistance of dog handlers and then arrested him. While Berland was being taken to the police car, his followers began rioting and throwing rocks and stones at the policemen, wounding two of them. One of his followers can be heard shouting repeatedly “Harav, kill them!

Following another cold, wet and rainy Shabbos in Israel, the cold weather is expected to continue this week with a cold wave hitting Israel on Sunday and the possibility of light snow in Yerushalayim on Sunday and Monday. A significant drop in temperature will begin on Sunday, with the temperature expected to fall as low as 37.4° Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) in Jerusalem. There may be light rainfall in Jerusalem which may be mixed with or turned into snow. The Chermon ski resort in the Golan will be closed on Sunday due to the stormy weather. About 15.75 inches (40 cm) of snow fell on the Chermon on Shabbos.

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court extended the arrest on Friday of Khaled al-Turman of East Jerusalem, suspected of carrying out the ramming attack in Jerusalem on Thursday morning, which wounded 12 IDF soldiers, one critically. Al-Turman’s relatives claimed during the hearing that al-Turman hit the soldiers by accident and fled the scene due to fear that the soldiers would shoot him, thinking it was was a terror attack. “He had an accident, a problem with the steering wheel and he panicked and fled because he was scared,” a relative stated.

Israeli security forces arrested an Arab in Chevron on Friday who is suspected of throwing a Molotov cocktail that exploded on a Border Police officer on Monday, the IDF spokesperson stated on Motzei Shabbos. “Yesterday, IDF combat soldiers arrested the terrorist who threw a Molotov cocktail on a Border Police officer on Monday in Chevron during violent riots,” the IDF spokesperson stated. “The suspect was transferred to security forces for interrogation.” The Border Police officer was lightly wounded on Monday after the Molotov cocktail exploded on his shoulder, bursting into flames. Arab rioters also threw stones at the police. “Luckily, the firebomb landed on my vest and I immediately extinguished the flames with my hands,” the police officer told Ynet.

An Israeli man traveled to Hong Kong on Wednesday and reported to B’Chadrei Charedim that everything was empty. In a photo the man took of the inside of the plane, the only people who were on the flight were the staff as hundreds of seats on the jumbo jet lay empty while the staff wore masks over their faces. The man, who was traveling for business, requested to remain anonymous and said: “My wife refused to let me go until she realized that I had to go, otherwise my business would fail. Of course I am afraid, but I have no choice the work needs to get done.” The man added that when he arrived in Hong Kong, he could not see many people at the airport.

One of the contenders for the leadership of Canada’s Conservative party, and former Defense Minister Peter MacKay stated in a personal tweet on Tuesday that: “It has always been my personal view that Jerusalem is the undisputed capital of the State of Israel and that is where Canada’s embassy should be and under my leadership, will be located.” The tweet was reported by Canadian Jewish newspaper the Canadian Jewish News. MacKay further tweeted: The Jewish people of Canada “know that the Conservative Party stands shoulder to shoulder with them. I made it clear (that) a threat to Israel is a threat to Canada.

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have announced that they will make a joint statement next week reflecting their opposition to the Trump administration’s peace plan. According to Channel 12 News, which broke the story to the Israeli media, the joint press conference is reported to be held next week. During the press conference, Olmert is expected to say that he was on the cusp of an agreement with the PA towards the end of his term as Prime Minister. Olmert has previously offered Abbas the most generous package that had ever been offered by an Israeli Prime Minister, including a near-total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, relinquishing control eastern Jerusalem and putting the Old City of Jerusalem under international control.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that an airstrike, that was said to have taken place over Damascus and which the Russians attributed to Israel, endangered a civilian aircraft, leaving one passenger in serious condition and forcing the plane to divert its course and land in a nearby Russian airbase. The airstrike reportedly targeted an outpost used by an Iranian militia near Damascus. The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that the plane, a civil Airbus-320, with 172 passengers on board, was trying to land at Damascus airport when the airstrikes hit. Israel’s Foreign Ministry refused to comment on the reports. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Two unusual incidents occurred in the home of the Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky this week, according to the Orchos Yosher weekly newsletter which publicizes the mussar teachings and chiddushim of Harav Chaim, and quoted in an article by B’Chadrei Chareidim. The first incident occurred when a group of people entered Harav Chaim’s room and approached the Gadol to receive a bracha. One of Harav Chaim’s attendants noticed that one person from the group didn’t approach Harav Chaim and was standing at a distance on the far side of the room.