Shabbat Shalom; may this Sabbath bring us wisdom and joy, gratitude and rest.
More political jockeying took place on Thursday as Turkey reasserted itself in trying to become the dominant power in the region (and the world), even though it is supposedly European and a part of NATO, rather than in the Middle East. Turkey's Ministry of Defense stated that "Israel must cease its attacks in Syria." Additionally, it was reported: "We will continue to provide military support to Syria." The inference is clear: it wants to be viewed as the controller of the rest of the region, which is something Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been saying and seeking since he took over in 2003 and something Israel will not and cannot permit.
The Qatari and Iranian foreign ministers spent Thursday together, reviewing "recent regional developments and efforts being made to reduce tensions and create a conducive environment for dialogue." At the same time, Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad claimed that despite the U.S. economic sanctions, oil sales in the country have not stopped. According to him, "Oil sales have not stopped. I won't go into details, because if information is published, it will be exploited by the enemy." (Or because the numbers are too low to admit?) IRGC representatives also chimed in, saying that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the U.S. accepts Iran's terms.
President Donald Trump posted, "Jonathan Hunt from Fox News published an inaccurate report about the failing Islamic Republic of Iran." According to him, "I don't want to meet with them — they do. They're begging to close a deal." According to the Wall Street Journal, White House administration officials have repeatedly told mediators that the U.S. has no interest in returning to the terms of the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran in June. According to them, the President in particular is no longer interested in the memorandum of understanding, having received so much harsh criticism of the MoU.
Former Mossad Chief David Barnea said on Thursday, "U.S. President Donald Trump understands very well that the radical Iranian regime must not be left in place. The decision to impose the harshest sanctions on Iran is a correct and welcome decision. But the sanctions are only an additional step. In my assessment, there will be no escape but to escalate the economic, political and operational actions against this regime until its fall – and it will fall. The Iranian citizens yearn for its fall, they need it to see a ray of light, the enlightened Western world desires it, and at its helm stand the United States and Israel, more determined than ever."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz voiced the feelings of the vast majority of Israelis when he said on Thursday that "the ultimatum we set following the launch of balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip toward Negev communities has ended. We made it clear that as far as we are concerned, every launch is an act of terror in every respect — and that's how we will treat it. From now on, every launch will be met with a forceful response against those responsible, the organizers and executors, as well as against the launch sites and the infrastructure they use." Given that the Israeli elections are upcoming, it is probable that we will be hearing most Israeli politicians echo this sentiment, as the nation is tired of the extended "negotiations" with Hamas, which still hasn't even kept the terms of the hostage deal two years ago.
Despite the horrors of October 7 and the repeated travesties committed by the Iranian proxies, 12 countries, including a number of EU members (Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Britain), condemned Israel on Thursday for closing down UNRWA facilities in Jerusalem after discovering more UNRWA staff were conspiring with terrorists. These 12 countries published, "United Nations premises are protected by the Convention on Privileges and Immunities under international law and must be respected. We call on the State of Israel to respect its obligations and cease all disruptions to UNRWA's operations without delay."
These nations are showing exactly what is important to them, and are clearly ignoring the history of UNRWA staff helping terrorist groups, including the hiding of Hamas terrorists and munitions in UNRWA facilities, and the very active part UNRWA staff played in planning and executing the horrors of October 7.
This week's Torah reading reminds us of how we are to truly live, not virtue signaling and pretending, but actually living in a right and righteous way. A teaching that needs to be learned by those 12 nations, but also one that each of us needs to take to heart.
May we all commit to that standard: to show that we are righteous through our actions, which really are more than just words.
Gut Shabbos and Chazak u'Baruch,
Rabbi Michael Barclay
August 28, 2026
15th of Elul, 5786
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