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Rabbi Menachem Froman’s Unique Perspective and Enduring Commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
Rabbi Menachem Froman (1945-2013) was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi, social critic, and teacher of Jewish mysticism, who served as the chief rabbi of Tekoa in the West Bank.
A former paratrooper in the IDF, and a veteran of the Six-Day War, he became a founding member of Gush Emunim, the movement that spearheaded the settlement of territories that Israel inherited in that conflict. And yet, throughout his public life, he was a prominent and often provocative advocate for peace, who maintained close contact and met with Palestinian civil and religious leaders whose politics were radically different from his own.
In some ways, Froman placed faith over politics, seeking similarities between Jews and Muslims, and emphasizing their mutual belief in one God. He also acknowledged that the Arabs also have ties to the Land of Israel, and accepted the reality that they live in it — and then asked: now what? They were not going anywhere, and neither were the Jews. Instead, they would have to find a way to understand and accommodate each other, and eventually, find a path to peace through their beliefs.
Though Froman was controversial to some, others praised his approach.
Davidi Perl, former head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, said that Froman was “a huge scholar, with a great soul, who loved people and brought them closer to the Torah.”
A newly published book from Rabbi Froman called Chasidim Just Laugh (Deuteronomy Press), shows that his views on politics and the Israeli-Arab conflict emerged from a much deeper and broader system of thought.
The book contains Froman’s ideas on marriage and relationships, Israeli society, faith, doubt, joy, religion, and ritual.
Translated from the Hebrew original — and featuring a new foreword by Yossi Klein Halevi — the book presents Froman in his own words; through a series of deep reflections, thought-provoking aphorisms, and inspired teachings; along with accompanying commentary and stories about the rabbi. Extensive footnotes also allow the reader to trace the influences he cites on his thought, from classical rabbinic texts, to the Chasidic masters of Breslov and Izhbitz, to French existentialism.
As Chasidim Just Laugh makes clear, in the 11 years since his untimely death, Rabbi Froman’s ideas have become no less original, thoughtful, confrontational, radical, and especially vital in the post-October 7 world.
In the forward to the book, Klein Halevi writes, “I believe [Rabbi Froman] would have been furious at the near-total moral failure of the Muslim world to unequivocally condemn Hamas’ atrocities [on Oct. 7]. And he would have said so from every platform available to him. At the same time, he would no doubt affirm the ongoing urgency of finding Palestinian partners, since neither side is going to disappear from the land. And he would intensify his search for allies in the Muslim world, convinced that we had no choice but to find our place in the region. I imagine he would be earning frequent flier points from trips to Saudi Arabia.”
The following are some of Rabbi Froman’s profound, and at times surprising, thoughts on Israel, Judaism, living with Arab neighbors while sticking to Jewish values — and never giving up the hope for peace.
To Leap and to Dance
When I lived in the Old City of Jerusalem, there was a picture sold in all the shops that was meant to symbolize the Arabs’ national struggle: a schlepper hauling the Al-Aqsa Mosque on his back. When I saw this, I immediately understood why the Jewish people don’t unanimously support the settlement project. We took something so sweet—the mitzvah of settling of the Land of Israel — and turned it into a heavy burden. If that’s how it is, better to schlep just half the Land. Rebbe Nachman offers an alternative to schlepping—to leap, to dance! And for that, you need the spirit.
Settling in the Land to Achieve Peace
People can’t grasp the idea that a call to freedom can be a religious matter. Although our Sages teach that “No one is truly free save for the one who engages in Torah,” [M Avot 6:11] most religious Jews were taught to give up their freedom for the sake of religion.
We see this in many realms. For example, in the political sphere: Most settlers think that the settlements interfere with peace, but they prefer the settlements to peace. They are incapable of believing that the settlements can be for the sake of peace.
Likewise, between man and woman—people think that being free means being single, that getting married means giving up on your freedom for the sake of a wife, marriage, children, a home, etc.
But for me, freedom is the essence of being religious, and my wife is my freedom. It’s like the song: “With you I know, that only with you am I free.”[i]
And with this, he began to sing and cry.
The settlements are the fingers of the hand extended in peace, and are safeguarding the peace.
Here he showed, with his hand, that when people shake hands, each person’s fingers are placed in the palm of the other.
So too the settlements are placed in the heart of the Palestinian community.
There’s No Peace Without Justice
Of all the Biblical judges, Samson the Mighty doesn’t seem like much of a judge. But it is this figure specifically that so fascinated Ze’ev Jabotinsky. This is because Samson expresses the essence of Jabotinsky’s political philosophy. In the novel that Jabotinsky wrote about Samson, he describes how two people came before him seeking justice. Samson tells them, “You have complaints? Scream, fight, get everything off your chest!” Afterwards, they left him, reconciled and whole.
It is precisely when we strive for the penetrating truth that peace becomes possible. I used to always tell Palestinians that there’s no “Salaam” [peace] without “Alaam,” justice. Otherwise, your “Salaam” is just a hello, just a greeting. If we don’t address questions of justice, the most piercing disagreements — we’ll never reach peace. The Palestinian governor of Bethlehem really loves this saying.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough, and I think you’ll find it as relevant now as it ever will be.
Kylie Ora Lobell is a writer and president of KOL Digital Marketing, where she does ghostwriting, marketing, and publicity for clients like authors, brands, and influencers. She has been published in The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal, and Aish.
The post Rabbi Menachem Froman’s Unique Perspective and Enduring Commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Says No Interim Hostage Deal Possible Without Work Toward Permanent Ceasefire
Explosions send smoke into the air in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing said on Friday that while the Palestinian terrorist group favors reaching an interim truce in the Gaza war, if such an agreement is not reached in current negotiations it could revert to insisting on a full package deal to end the conflict.
Hamas has previously offered to release all the hostages held in Gaza and conclude a permanent ceasefire agreement, and Israel has refused, Abu Ubaida added in a televised speech.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce in the war.
Israeli officials were not immediately available for comment on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on a call he had with Pope Leo on Friday that Israel‘s efforts to secure a hostage release deal and 60-day ceasefire “have so far not been reciprocated by Hamas.”
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release a number of detained Palestinians.
“If the enemy remains obstinate and evades this round as it has done every time before, we cannot guarantee a return to partial deals or the proposal of the 10 captives,” said Abu Ubaida.
Disputes remain over maps of Israeli army withdrawals, aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and guarantees that any eventual truce would lead to ending the war, said two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
The officials said the talks have not reached a breakthrough on the issues under discussion.
Hamas says any agreement must lead to ending the war, while Netanyahu says the war will only end once Hamas is disarmed and its leaders expelled from Gaza.
Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies. Over 250 hostages were kidnapped during Hamas’s Oct. 7 onslaught.
Israel responded with an ongoing military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.
The post Hamas Says No Interim Hostage Deal Possible Without Work Toward Permanent Ceasefire first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Marks 31st Anniversary of AMIA Bombing by Slamming Argentina’s ‘Baseless’ Accusations, Blaming Israel
People hold images of the victims of the 1994 bombing attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) community center, marking the 30th anniversary of the attack, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Irina Dambrauskas
Iran on Friday marked the 31st anniversary of the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires by slamming Argentina for what it called “baseless” accusations over Tehran’s alleged role in the terrorist attack and accusing Israel of politicizing the atrocity to influence the investigation and judicial process.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the anniversary of Argentina’s deadliest terrorist attack, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 300.
“While completely rejecting the accusations against Iranian citizens, the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns attempts by certain Argentine factions to pressure the judiciary into issuing baseless charges and politically motivated rulings,” the statement read.
“Reaffirming that the charges against its citizens are unfounded, the Islamic Republic of Iran insists on restoring their reputation and calls for an end to this staged legal proceeding,” it continued.
Last month, a federal judge in Argentina ordered the trial in absentia of 10 Iranian and Lebanese nationals suspected of orchestrating the attack in Buenos Aires.
The ten suspects set to stand trial include former Iranian and Lebanese ministers and diplomats, all of whom are subject to international arrest warrants issued by Argentina for their alleged roles in the terrorist attack.
In its statement on Friday, Iran also accused Israel of influencing the investigation to advance a political campaign against the Islamist regime in Tehran, claiming the case has been used to serve Israeli interests and hinder efforts to uncover the truth.
“From the outset, elements and entities linked to the Zionist regime [Israel] exploited this suspicious explosion, pushing the investigation down a false and misleading path, among whose consequences was to disrupt the long‑standing relations between the people of Iran and Argentina,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
“Clear, undeniable evidence now shows the Zionist regime and its affiliates exerting influence on the Argentine judiciary to frame Iranian nationals,” the statement continued.
In April, lead prosecutor Sebastián Basso — who took over the case after the 2015 murder of his predecessor, Alberto Nisman — requested that federal Judge Daniel Rafecas issue national and international arrest warrants for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over his alleged involvement in the attack.
Since 2006, Argentine authorities have sought the arrest of eight Iranians — including former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died in 2017 — yet more than three decades after the deadly bombing, all suspects remain still at large.
In a post on X, the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), the country’s Jewish umbrella organization, released a statement commemorating the 31st anniversary of the bombing.
“It was a brutal attack on Argentina, its democracy, and its rule of law,” the group said. “At DAIA, we continue to demand truth and justice — because impunity is painful, and memory is a commitment to both the present and the future.”
31 años del atentado a la AMIA – DAIA. 31 años sin justicia.
El 18 de julio de 1994, un atentado terrorista dejó 85 personas muertas y más de 300 heridas. Fue un ataque brutal contra la Argentina, su democracia y su Estado de derecho.
Desde la DAIA, seguimos exigiendo verdad y… pic.twitter.com/kV2ReGNTIk
— DAIA (@DAIAArgentina) July 18, 2025
Despite Argentina’s longstanding belief that Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah terrorist group carried out the devastating attack at Iran’s request, the 1994 bombing has never been claimed or officially solved.
Meanwhile, Tehran has consistently denied any involvement and refused to arrest or extradite any suspects.
To this day, the decades-long investigation into the terrorist attack has been plagued by allegations of witness tampering, evidence manipulation, cover-ups, and annulled trials.
In 2006, former prosecutor Nisman formally charged Iran for orchestrating the attack and Hezbollah for carrying it out.
Nine years later, he accused former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner — currently under house arrest on corruption charges — of attempting to cover up the crime and block efforts to extradite the suspects behind the AMIA atrocity in return for Iranian oil.
Nisman was killed later that year, and to this day, both his case and murder remain unresolved and under ongoing investigation.
The alleged cover-up was reportedly formalized through the memorandum of understanding signed in 2013 between Kirchner’s government and Iranian authorities, with the stated goal of cooperating to investigate the AMIA bombing.
The post Iran Marks 31st Anniversary of AMIA Bombing by Slamming Argentina’s ‘Baseless’ Accusations, Blaming Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Jordan Reveals Muslim Brotherhood Operating Vast Illegal Funding Network Tied to Gaza Donations, Political Campaigns
Murad Adailah, the head of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, attends an interview with Reuters in Amman, Jordan, Sept. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements, has been implicated in a wide-ranging network of illegal financial activities in Jordan and abroad, according to a new investigative report.
Investigations conducted by Jordanian authorities — along with evidence gathered from seized materials — revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood raised tens of millions of Jordanian dinars through various illegal activities, the Jordan news agency (Petra) reported this week.
With operations intensifying over the past eight years, the report showed that the group’s complex financial network was funded through various sources, including illegal donations, profits from investments in Jordan and abroad, and monthly fees paid by members inside and outside the country.
The report also indicated that the Muslim Brotherhood has taken advantage of the war in Gaza to raise donations illegally.
Out of all donations meant for Gaza, the group provided no information on where the funds came from, how much was collected, or how they were distributed, and failed to work with any international or relief organizations to manage the transfers properly.
Rather, the investigations revealed that the Islamist network used illicit financial mechanisms to transfer funds abroad.
According to Jordanian authorities, the group gathered more than JD 30 million (around $42 million) over recent years.
With funds transferred to several Arab, regional, and foreign countries, part of the money was allegedly used to finance domestic political campaigns in 2024, as well as illegal activities and cells.
In April, Jordan outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most vocal opposition group, and confiscated its assets after members of the Islamist movement were found to be linked to a sabotage plot.
The movement’s political arm in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, became the largest political grouping in parliament after elections last September, although most seats are still held by supporters of the government.
Opponents of the group, which is banned in most Arab countries, label it a terrorist organization. However, the movement claims it renounced violence decades ago and now promotes its Islamist agenda through peaceful means.
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