Latest news with #Gafni
Middle East Eye
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel's Bezalel Smotrich sparks anger after saying captive return 'not important'
Israeli Finance Minster Bezalel Smotrich has provoked an angry backlash after he suggested that the release of captives in Gaza was "not the most important thing" for the goverment. On Monday, Smotrich said in an interview with Galey Israel radio that the "Gaza problem" must be eliminated, citing a "tremendous opportunity". Smotrich believes the end of former US President Joe Biden's tenure at the White House and the political demise of rivals, like former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and former Israeli army chief of staff Herzi Halevi, means there are no longer any obstacles to fulfilling a hardline Israeli policy on Gaza. "We have to say the truth, returning the hostages is not the most important thing," he said. "It is obviously a very important goal, but if you want to destroy Hamas so that there can't be another October 7, you need to understand that there can't be a situation where Hamas remains in Gaza." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In response to Smotrich's statements, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have hit back, saying: "The families have only one word this morning: shame. At least the minister is revealing the harsh truth to the public – this government has consciously decided to abandon the hostages. "Minister Smotrich, history will remember how you hardened your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them – some from death, others from disappearance." The forum has also demanded that other Israeli ministers speak up to "prove that they are still committed to the basic Jewish and Israeli values of redeeming captives and rescuing our brothers and sisters." In Israel, Zionism is fractured into two political realities with opposing visions Read More » Einav Zangauker, the mother of captive Matan Zangauker, said Smotrich was willing to sacrifice Israel and her son for "his messianic and psychotic delusions." "We must throw out Smotrich and Netanyahu in order to bring all the hostages home!' she said in a post on X. MP Moshe Gafni, a member of the Haredi United Torah Judaism party, condemned Smotrich, likening his statement to slander. "The return of the kidnapped is the most important issue," he stressed, adding that his party would hold a meeting to address the matter. In response to the criticism from the Israeli public and officials, particularly Gafni, the finance minister has doubled down on his stance, warning that Israelis may be "in danger in the future if Hamas remains in power." "It's a shame that you, Gafni, are also cooperating with the campaign to silence all those who refuse to surrender to Hamas, so they distort things and stoke the flames behind the families in order to harm the government," Smotrich added. In January, Smotrich criticised the now-failed ceasefire deal, which was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet. He said at the time that Netanyahu had "decided to give the green light to a bad, catastrophic deal." When Israel resumed its attacks on the besieged enclave in late March, Smotrich welcomed the decision, saying: "It's good that the war has begun, and it's unfortunate that it began this way, but we are changing the reality in the Middle East."
Reuters
04-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Israel's finance committee chief faults government over soaring bank profits
JERUSALEM, March 4 (Reuters) - The head of Israel's powerful parliamentary finance committee criticised the government and central bank on Tuesday for allowing commercial banks to post huge profits and said he would consider taking unspecified steps to rein in the lenders. "The state and the Bank of Israel have failed in their supervision of banks," said committee chairman Moshe Gafni. He spoke hours after Leumi ( opens new tab, one of Israel's two largest banks, said it earned nearly 10 billion shekels ($2.75 billion) in net profit in 2024, up 40% from 2023. On Monday, rival Hapoalim ( opens new tab said it made 7.6 billion shekels last year, with bank profits boosted by high interest rates. "There is an economic need to allow banks to operate independently, but this recklessness ... exceeds the boundaries of reasonable and normative management in banks in Israel," Gafni said. "At a time when the cost of living is soaring and many families are barely making ends meet, the banks are operating as if there are no price increases. The Finance Committee will reconsider its position on this important matter." He did not elaborate, and the Bank of Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gafni has been a frequent critic of the Bank of Israel for raising its benchmark interest rate sharply - to 4.75% from 0.1% in April 2022 - to battle inflation, although the rate has lately eased to 4.5%. He also believes the central bank did not push banks enough to pass on rate hikes to customers' savings and checking accounts as quickly as to mortgages and other loans. Public anger over a spike in borrowing rates has also mounted, especially as banks have been paying out 40% of net profit each quarter in dividends and share buybacks. Hapoalim and Leumi are seeking to distribute at least 50% of profit in 2025, a move banks see as helping the public since most Israelis benefit through their pension and other funds held at institutions. Under a tax amendment passed a year ago, banks in 2024 and 2025 must pay an additional 6% of profit generated from activities in Israel, a move promoted by Gafni. ($1 = 3.6375 shekels)
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DEI's undoing: How Walmart, McDonald's, and more are adapting to Trump
In recent years, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become a key focus for global corporations. However, as societal and political pressures intensify under President Donald Trump, companies including Walmart, McDonald's, and others are reevaluating their DEI strategies. While some, such as Costco, are holding firm, Google, Meta, and Zoom (ZM), for example, are scaling back. This presents both challenges and opportunities as Corporate America tries to adapt to evolving market and regulatory realities. 'DEI is in the crosshairs because of poor execution and identity politics,' said TaChelle Lawson, founder of Fig Strategy & Consulting. 'However, it is evolving.' Lawson believes that companies are either overcommitting or retreating altogether – both of which are problematic. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, many companies made sweeping DEI commitments. For example, Target (TGT) promised a 20% increase in its Black workforce over three years. However, Target recently scrapped its DEI goals and stopped reporting to external groups such as the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. The company also ended its program to stock more products from Black or minority-owned businesses. Earlier this month, Target's shareholders sued the company, accusing it of deceiving investors by not disclosing risks associated with its diversity program. This undoing of DEI programs comes amid broader corporate and political shifts, particularly following the Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action and increased scrutiny of corporate diversity efforts. The pressure increased with Trump's executive order to challenge federal-level DEI programs. It seems the legal battle over DEI has begun. In a recent lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey against Starbucks, the company is accused of prioritizing the hiring of women and people of color over qualifications. 'Starbucks (SBUX)' U.S. workforce was 70.9% women and 28.4% men [...] In other words, since 2020, Starbucks' [workforce] has become more female and less white,' reads page 29 of the lawsuit. Noa Gafni, a faculty member at Columbia University, told Quartz in an interview that, while these efforts were well-intentioned, companies lacked the strategies needed to create lasting change. 'DEI [became] a priority over night,' she said. 'But the lack of comprehensive plans led to frustration.' Five years later, Gafni suggests companies now have an opportunity to re-think their DEI efforts in a more sustainable way. She recommends aligning DEI initiatives with core business goals, driving cultural change through middle management, and building cross-country partnerships to tackle systemic issues. 'A diverse workforce that is engaged and heard will lead to innovation and growth,' Gafni added. As companies upend their DEI programs, Lawson from Fig believes metrics will shift to avoid legal and reputational risks. 'Hiring quotas will be eliminated, ERGs will be scaled back, and diversity training will become less mandatory,' she predicted. The focus will move way from visible diversity metrics toward internal assessments of culture and inclusion. Despite these shifts, DEI remains a top priority for many employees and consumers. According to data from market research firm Reputation Leaders, 63% of Americans consider DEI policies important for U.S. companies in 2025, reinforcing its continued significance. 'The key is always planning ahead and thinking about how changes will be received,' said Gafni. She stresses the importance of anticipating backlash from stakeholders, whether that's shareholders, employees, or external political groups. 'Transparent communications are key to a healthy, diverse corporate culture,' Gafni explained.' Companies that thoughtfully approach DEI will be better positioned to lead in the years ahead. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How the 'Zizian cult' started, and may have led to VT
COVENTRY, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – As details about the shooting death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont continue emerging, new information now shows the two people who were pulled over and involved in the shooting may have ties to a group that's been described as a 'dangerous cult.' The group is known as the 'Zizians', and a combination of court records, investigative reporting and witness accounts show the group may have been around since 2019. That's when its alleged leader, Jack 'Ziz' LaSota, a transgender tech whiz and devout vegan, organized a group of people similar to him to protest a rationalist reunion on the outskirts of San Francisco, California. Matthias Gafni, an investigative reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, covered the protest in 2019, not realizing at the time that it would spiral into one of the most bizarre investigations of his career. 'I just happened to be the reporter here at the Chronicle that covered this bizarre protest,' Gafni reminisced. 'They (LaSota and co.) showed up there in all black robes, in Guy Fawkes masks, and they blocked the entrance and exit to this place with a school bus and a flatbed truck and started handing out flyers about what they were protesting about.' 'Now we know these years later that that was really a launching point,' Gafni said. 'Zizian cult' could be tied to Border Patrol agent death Fast forward to 2022, LaSota and his associates bought a World War II tugboat in Alaska and sailed it down to San Francisco Bay with plans to live on it, according to multiple reports. But eventually, the boat sank and the group abandoned it, with LaSota faking his death in the process. 'His (LaSota's) supporters and friends and family in California, in the Bay Area, had alleged that he died in a boating accident, and his counsel told the court that,' said Andy Ngo, the Senior Editor for The Post Millennial, a Canadian conservative news website. 'The attorney told the judge that his client, Jack LaSota, was dead, and it turns out that there was an elaborate scheme to make it look like Ziz fell off a sailboat,' Gafni said. The people who were on the boat with LaSota then turned to a landlord they met in the marina: Curtis Lind. According to court documents, after renting from Lind in Vallejo, California for a while, the group attacked him with knives and a samurai sword in November 2022. Lind fought back, shooting and killing one of them, Emma Borhanian, and injuring another. Sunken boat linked to 'Zizians,' mysterious Vallejo murder case About a month-and-a-half later on New Year's Eve, a set of murders happened in Pennsylvania, when Richard and Rita Zajko were found dead in their home, shot execution-style. The killings seemed to be unconnected to everything that had gone on in the Bay Area at first, until police arrested someone on an obstruction charge connected to the Zajko's murders. That person was none other than Jack 'Ziz' LaSota 'According to the police record, he acted very bizarre,' Ngo said. 'He pretended to be dead during the booking … the staff had to hold him up for the photo.' LaSota's bail was eventually lowered to $10,000 in 2023, which he paid and got out. LaSota hasn't been seen since, but Zizian activity may still be going on. This year, Curtis Lind was set to testify as the lone witness in his own attempted murder case, and with a fading memory, his attorney filed paperwork to move his testimony up to happen as soon as possible. But less than one month ago on January 17, Lind was found dead. Who are the 'Zizians'? Recent deaths linked to Bay Area 'cult' 'Literally the next day, prosecutors allege that Maximilian Snyder walked up to him in a cul-de-sac just outside his property in Vallejo and stabbed him to death, slit his throat,' Gafni said. 'He was the sole witness to one of their attacks, one of their alleged attempted assassinations, and the trial is set for April and that witness has now been murdered,' Ngo said. Then, three days later was the deadly shootout in Vermont between U.S. Border Patrol agents and the team of Teresa 'Milo' Youngblut and Felix 'Ophelia' Bauckholt, which claimed the lives of Bauckholt and U.S. Border Patrol Agent David 'Chris' Maland. In November 2024, Youngblut had filed for a marriage license with Snyder, the man accused of killing Lind in Vallejo. Suspect pleads 'not guilty' to firearms charges in shooting of VT border patrol agent Furthermore, Pennsylvania State Police say a woman named Michelle Zajko, the daughter of the slain Pennsylvania couple Richard and Rita Zajko, purchased the firearms that were in Youngblut and Bauckholt's possession. Records also show Michelle Zajko owns property in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, and Essex County State's Attorney Vince Illuzzi says someone who went to Zajko's Coventry property in late January 2025 was met by a person wearing a black cloak, armed with a sword-like weapon at their hip, who told them to leave. It was at this point that some of the possible connections became clear, especially with court documents suggesting Youngblut could be linked to other violent cases across the country. What also became clear was that Youngblut and Bauckholt were looking for property in Vermont, and may have been trying to grow a Zizian foothold in the state. 'There's definitely evidence that they were looking to plant some roots in Vermont,' Gafni said. 'Each time we'd learn something new, it would get more and more bizarre.' 'What's scary about it is that there are people who are at large,' Ngo said. 'It almost sounds like it's been written by AI. It's so unbelievable that, if the allegations are true … there was an extremist cult killing people for several years across the U.S., operating essentially in the open, and federal authorities completely missed the seriousness of this.' Snyder and Youngblut both have more court dates coming up. Snyder will have his first hearing next week in the Lind murder case, and Youngblut will be back in federal court in May to answer to charges connected to her role in the shooting death of Agent Maland. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
