The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.
Poland condemns vandalism of monument to Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
WARSAW — The Polish foreign ministry condemns “an act of vandalism” after a monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was sprayed with paint, an incident that drew protest from the Israeli ambassador.
“Such acts are an attack on history and the values that unite us as a society,” the foreign ministry says on social media platform X.
Israel’s ambassador to Warsaw, Yacov Livne, posted a picture on social media showing a patch of red paint on the memorial, which was erected to commemorate the Jewish fighters who revolted against Nazi Germany in 1943.
An AFP photographer present at the scene saw cleaners removing the rectangle of paint about 50 centimeters (20-inches) long. Police were also at the site.
The 11-meter (36-foot) memorial is located at the site of several of the uprising’s armed clashes and is outside the popular Polin Museum established to commemorate the history of Polish Jews.
Livne urges Polish authorities to “find the culprits” behind the incident “and bring them to justice.”
“This isn’t the first act of antisemitic vandalism here. Only determined action will put an end to it,” he says on X.
Trump says his campaign spokeswoman will be White House press secretary
WASHINGTON — US President-elect Donald Trump announces that campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt will serve as his White House press secretary.
Leavitt, 27, “is smart, tough and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People,” Trump says in a statement.
Dutch PM says deal reached to defuse government crisis after junior minister resigns
A government crisis in the Netherlands has been avoided following a tense emergency meeting, as a cabinet member resigned over comments by the head of a hard-right coalition party about the assailants who attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam last week.
Nora Achahbar unexpectedly quit on Friday as junior finance minister, triggering an emergency meeting in which other cabinet members of her centrist NSC party also threatened to quit.
But Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof later announces his cabinet has reached an agreement, resulting in only the resignation of Achahbar but not of others.
The Moroccan-born Achahbar quit the government after Geert Wilders blamed Moroccans for the violent attacks, saying “we saw Muslims hunting Jews” and added they were fueled by ”Moroccans who want to destroy Jews.” He said those convicted of involvement should be deported if they have dual nationality.
Zelensky says Ukraine war will end ‘sooner’ with Trump in office
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Russia’s war against his country will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have done once Donald Trump becomes US president next year.
“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens,” Zelensky says in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.
IDF says it carried out fourth wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut
The IDF says it carried out a fourth wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs this evening.
The targets included Hezbollah command rooms and weapon depots, according to the military.
The Hezbollah sites were located “in the heart of a civilian population,” the IDF says, accusing the terror group of using human shields.
Before the strikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians in the area.