Israel's largest Hasidic sect threatens to withhold 30,000 votes in election feud
Less than two weeks before Israel's election, Gur Hasidim have yet to endorse United Torah Judaism, as a bitter split involving Meir Porush and Belz candidate Elyakim Stark threatens the party's electoral strength and could deny Stark a Knesset seat
Yehonatan Ovadia, a 35-year-old Hasidic religious worker, is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City and faces potential deportation to Israel due to his pro-Palestinian views. Ovadia, who arrived in the US in 2022 on a temporary religious worker visa, re-entered the country in April 2024 on a visa that had already expired.
He claims he was denied an extension of his visa by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) due to his participation in a pro-Palestine protest in November 2023, where an Israeli flag was torn down. Ovadia admits to attending the protest and driving participants to the site but denies tearing down the flag.
He has been charged with criminal mischief, petty larceny, conspiracy, and disorderly conduct as hate crimes, but his lawyers argue that he has not committed any crimes and has no criminal record. Ovadia's lawyers maintain that he is not a danger to the public and that his detention is unlawful. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that Ovadia's arrest is within its statutory and constitutional authority.
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