The Times of Israel liveblogged Wednesday’s events as they happened.

Trump opposes deal to avert fast-approaching US government shutdown

US President-elect Donald Trump comes out against a mammoth package allocating funding to avert a fast-approaching US government shutdown after a trove of spending added to the text ballooned costs, outraging conservatives.

Suggesting that concessions to Democrats in the bill were “a betrayal of our country,” Trump says in a joint statement with Vice President-elect JD Vance: “Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF.”

Hamas official: 34 hostages could be released in first phase of deal, Rafah Crossing would reopen

An anonymous Hamas official tells the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen news outlet that there has been considerable progress in the negotiations for a phased hostage release and ceasefire deal with Israel.

According to the official, Israel’s demand during the first stage of the deal is for the release of 34 hostages on humanitarian grounds — chiefly all remaining women and children, including female IDF soldiers, and the sick and elderly.

In return, Israel will release an unconfirmed number of Palestinian security prisoners, including some serving life sentences, al Mayadeen reports.

The Hamas official alleges that during the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire, Israel will allow a significantly increased flow of humanitarian aid to enter the Strip, as well as the equipment needed to repair and rebuild Gaza’s hospitals and public facilities.

The official claims that Israel has also agreed to withdraw from densely populated areas in the Strip during the first phase of the deal.

He says that while all parties have agreed to reopen the Rafah Crossing on the border with Egypt during the first phase, the issue of who will maintain control of the crossing has yet to be resolved.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Israel has agreed to a gradual withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, and that Hamas had agreed it would not be involved in running the Rafah Crossing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long vowed that Israeli troops would remain on the route.

The crossing has remained shuttered since May of this year when the IDF launched its offensive in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.

Hundreds gather in Tel Aviv to mark hostage Matan Zangauker’s 25th birthday

Einav Zangauker joins protesters in Tel Aviv as they mark her son Matan's 25th birthday, the second one he has spent in Hamas captivity, on December 18, 2024. (Danor Aharon/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
Einav Zangauker joins protesters in Tel Aviv as they mark her son Matan's 25th birthday, the second one he has spent in Hamas captivity, on December 18, 2024. (Danor Aharon/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Hundreds of protesters gather on Begin Road in Tel Aviv to mark the 25th birthday of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker and to call for a deal to enable his return and the return of the other 99 hostages still in captivity.

Matan’s mother Einav and sister Natalie are both in attendance.

Natalie addresses the crowd through sobs, marking the first time she has spoken publicly at a hostage protest event.

“A little sister shouldn’t have to fight for her brother’s life,” she says. “Matan, you don’t deserve to rot in there for so long.”

“I miss coming to visit you in Nir Oz and spending the weekends with you, I miss cooking for you and the fact that you would always ask me how I am and where I’m going.

“I miss your music, and that you never wanted to take pictures with me. I want it all back. I want you back. I miss you so much,” she says, stopping briefly as the crowd chants “you are not alone!” in a show of support.

“Your prime minister, who I spoke to during the elections, who I admired so much, betrayed us,” she says of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Matan, we are fighting for you. Every day. I promise.”

Yifat Calderon, the cousin of hostage Ofer Calderon, also addresses the crowd of protesters, recalling how she and Einav “became family” over the last year of tireless activism for the return of their loved ones.

She says that she has bought a birthday cake that Matan and Ofer “will eat together” upon their return from captivity.

As Yifat speaks, Einav can be seen breaking down in tears in the crowd, where she is comforted by released hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husband Oded is still in captivity.

Netanyahu selects attorney Roi Kahlon for role of acting civil service commissioner

Attorney Roi Kahlon (Shelly Padan)
Attorney Roi Kahlon (Shelly Padan)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that he wishes to appoint attorney Roi Kahlon as acting civil service commissioner following the end of Daniel Hershkowitz’s tenure earlier this month, his office says in a statement.

The announcement comes after the government approved a measure last August allowing the prime minister to directly nominate the next commissioner rather than using a search committee.

The measure was opposed by Baharav-Miara, who argued that the plan is illegal and “creates a new situation whereby the prime minister will be able to choose a person he wishes to be appointed to the position who does not have to meet minimum professional threshold conditions of experience, skills or suitability.”

Amid the ongoing legal battle over the issue, the High Court of Justice froze the process for appointing a new permanent civil service commissioner, leaving the government to appoint a temporary placeholder commissioner instead.

In a statement regarding the decision, the Prime Minister’s Office writes that Kahlon has “extensive experience in the field of senior management, with impressive achievements in civil service.”

Netanyahu praises Kahlon for his “extensive experience in senior management, managing employees on a large scale, and in the fields of public policy and government work.”

“I am convinced that Attorney Kahlon is the most suitable appointment at this time for the position of acting civil service commissioner — and I wish him success in the position,” Netanyahu adds.

Netanyahu said set to huddle with top brass Thursday to discuss Gaza deal latest

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the Knesset, December 16, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the Knesset, December 16, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

Channel 12 reports that Israeli leaders are awaiting the return of negotiators from Qatar to see where things stand on a Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal.

The network says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to hold a high-level meeting on the matter tomorrow with top security officials, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

The report notes it remains unclear whether Hamas will accept a deal that does not guarantee an end to the war, as Israel demands.

US envoy criticizes Israeli conduct in West Bank, settler violence

At the UN Security Council meeting, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield slams Israel’s recent conduct in the West Bank.

While she acknowledges the recent Israeli decision to extend a corresponding banking agreement for another year, which prevents the Palestinian Authority from collapsing, Thomas-Greenfield says it’s just a start given the dire economic situation in the West Bank.

The US envoy urges Israel to ease restrictions on Palestinian economic activity, including by re-issuing worker permits for well over 100,000 Palestinians that were revoked following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

Thomas-Greenfield slams Israeli actions that have undercut the PA and dampened prospects for a two-state solution — a framework that the current Israeli government opposes.

Israel continues to withhold hundreds of millions of shekels in Palestinian tax revenues that the US has long urged Israel to release.

She pans Israel’s recent advancement of plans for over 500 new homes in several settlements throughout the West Bank and laments that more settlement units were approved this past year than in any other 12-month period this last decade. The total number of homes advanced by the end of 2024 will be 9,221.

Thomas-Greenfield calls out continued settler attacks against Palestinians, noting that many of them have been carried out by suspects living in some of the several dozen new outposts established over the past year — hamlets that are illegal even under Israeli law, but that are rarely subject to any enforcement measures.

Last year saw the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the UN began collecting data in 2005, she says, calling on Israeli authorities to act against the phenomenon and to dismantle illegal outposts.

US envoy criticizes Israel and UN for failing to cooperate on Gaza aid

UN Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield addresses the UN Security Council meeting on the situation on Sudan and South Sudan, at UN headquarters in New York City, US November 18, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
UN Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield addresses the UN Security Council meeting on the situation on Sudan and South Sudan, at UN headquarters in New York City, US November 18, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield knocks both Israel and the United Nations for failing to appropriately cooperate to ensure that humanitarian aid can reach civilians in Gaza.

“It is time for Israel and the United Nations to stop working against each other and instead take pragmatic steps to ensure there is no interruption of humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians in desperate need,” Thomas-Greenfield says in remarks at the monthly UN Security Council session on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The US envoy calls on Israel not to restrict the delivery of aid, lift obstacles that hamper such deliveries and ensure that the recently passed Knesset legislation aimed at dismantling UNRWA doesn’t further harm the aid effort.

But Thomas-Greenfield also urges the UN to work with Israel and other parties to advance a viable plan to ensure the delivery of aid once the Knesset legislation goes into place late next month.

She laments that a recent letter from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office, defending the work of UNRWA amid a flood of revelations tying the relief agency for Palestinian refugees to Hamas, indicated that the UN “has not yet begun an earnest conversation with Israel regarding implementation of the [Knesset] legislation.

“Nor does it appear that relevant UN agencies have had detailed conversations regarding steps they could take to help ensure continuity of UN aid deliveries to Gaza,” she continues. “With lives in the balance, this must change. The UN must demonstrate that it will continue to work to find a path to support the people of Gaza.”

Group of hostages’ families: We oppose any phased release deal

A group of hostages’ families is urging the government not to sign a deal with Hamas in Gaza that will see a phased release of captives.

At a press conference, the Tikva Forum’s Tzvika Mor says: “We say to the prime minister: If you intend to bring back all the hostages in one day, at once — we support it. But if you plan to go for another deal with stages and phases, where we don’t know if we’ll get our loved ones back, and if you plan to fall into Hamas’s trap again, we will oppose any such deal that endangers the hostages.”

Mor’s son Eitan is held in Gaza.

The Forum represents a more hawkish minority of hostages’ families who back the government’s declared objective to use overwhelming military might to force Hamas into releasing the captives abducted on October 7.

Many relatives of young male hostages fear a phased released would prevent their loved ones from being released, as they would be slated to be freed at later stages which many doubt will come to pass.

Gallant denies meeting Bennett to discuss potential joint run

Yoav Gallant attends a plenum session on the opening day of the Knesset's winter session, in Jerusalem, October 28, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Yoav Gallant attends a plenum session on the opening day of the Knesset's winter session, in Jerusalem, October 28, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has reportedly met with Likud lawmaker Yoav Gallant to discuss the possibility of a joint run in the next elections.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, Gallant, who was recently ousted as defense minister by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believes that he does not have a future in his party.

Gallant tweets that Kan’s report “is false and devoid of any basis — I am a member of the Likud movement and will remain so.” He adds that he has “not spoken or met with Naftali Bennett since we served in the same government many years ago, and I have no intention of joining him.”

Earlier this month, National Unity MK Matan Kahana confirmed meeting with Bennett, stating that he had tried to convince him to join Benny Gantz’s party.

“I think this is the right thing for the State of Israel, and I will continue to work to make it happen,” he wrote, while affirming his loyalty to Gantz and the National Unity party.

Kahana previously served as both MK and minister for Bennett’s Yamina and New Right parties.

Gantz downplayed the rumors, according to the Maariv daily: “Naftali Bennett is a worthy man, I’ve met with him many times. Matan Kahana is his friend, but there’s nothing political on the agenda.”

IDF chief in Gaza: We are exerting pressure on Hamas daily

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) speaks to officers in southern Gaza's Rafah alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman (left) and Gaza Division chief Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram (right), December 18, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) speaks to officers in southern Gaza's Rafah alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman (left) and Gaza Division chief Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram (right), December 18, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Speaking to officers in southern Gaza’s Rafah earlier today, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military is continuing pressure on Hamas to bring about a hostage deal.

“We are dismantling Hamas and targeting its infrastructure and forces so that there will never be another October 7th. We are exerting pressure on Hamas daily, driving it into greater distress, to ensure the return of the 100 hostages, hopefully alive — and for those who are not, to provide them a proper burial in Israel,” Halevi says.

Hostage’s brother to UN Security Council: Your silence is deafening, your inaction suffocating

Michael Levy, brother of hostage Or Levy, addresses the UN Security Council on December 18, 2024 (video screenshot)
Michael Levy, brother of hostage Or Levy, addresses the UN Security Council on December 18, 2024 (video screenshot)

Michael Levy, the brother of Hamas hostage Or Levy, addresses the UN Security Council as it meets for a session on the Middle East.

Levy says in a video message that his family has suffered “439 days of fear, anguish, and an unbearable silence that echoes louder than any words ever could.”

“Or is more than just a number. He is a real human being. A father to an amazing three-year-old son named Almog who lost his mother in the horrendous terror attack of October 7th and is now essentially orphaned,” Levy says. “Imagine not knowing if your child is okay and who is taking care of him. Almog keeps asking about mom and dad, and even when we try to explain, he doesn’t understand why he can’t see his dad, and what it means when we say that mom will never come back.

“This baby still has a father, a father who can come back to him. Do not let him become an orphan. You have the power to save his father,” he says.

“I’m here today to remind this council and the world of its duty. Not just as diplomats, but as people, as mothers, fathers, siblings and friends. Because this is not merely a political issue, this is a human issue, a moral issue,” he adds.

“I want to ask every member of this council. What would you do if it was your child? Your brother, your loved one?”

“Hamas’s actions are not just blatant violation of international law. They are an assault on humanity itself. Holding civilians hostage, men, women, children, is a violation of the principles that this very council was created to protect,” Levy states.

“And yet your silence is deafening. Your inaction is suffocating. For every day this council fails to act, the message to the world is clear. That some lives are worth saving and others are not. “

Israeli official: We’re passing messages to Syria’s HTS, not in direct contact

A man lifts an independence-era Syrian flag as passengers disembark from a Syrian Air aircraft arriving from Damascus, at the airport of the northern city of Aleppo on December 18, 2024 (Muhammad HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
A man lifts an independence-era Syrian flag as passengers disembark from a Syrian Air aircraft arriving from Damascus, at the airport of the northern city of Aleppo on December 18, 2024 (Muhammad HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

Israel is not in direct contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that has taken control of Syria, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

“We pass messages through various actors,” the official explains.

The official says that if Israel sees that the Druze population in Syria is in danger, “we will discuss it and act according to Israel’s interests.”

Turning to the Kurds, the official says that Israel’s interest is “that the Kurds are strong and independent.”

“The prime minister speaks with the Americans about developments in Syria, including developments with the Kurdish minority,” says the official.

NY Jewish groups, allies launch ad campaign for anti-masking legislation

Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on Sixth Avenue during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, November 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on Sixth Avenue during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, November 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

A coalition of Jewish groups and allies in New York announces a statewide ad campaign to build support for legislation that would ban masking in some circumstances.

The legislation is a priority for some Jewish groups, legislators and voters, who say masking hinders the prosecution of antisemitic assailants. The bill’s opponents argue it would hamper free expression by forcing protesters to show their identities.

The support campaign, called “UnMaskHateNY,” says it will air ads across New York State, including in New York City, Westchester and Nassau counties, and Buffalo. The ad campaign costs “six figures,” the campaign says.

The ads are meant to build support for the bill ahead of the upcoming state legislative session. Lawmakers said over the summer that they planned to pass the bill by the end of the year.

“Individuals are using masks and head coverings to escape accountability and little has changed as innocent civilians are targeted and menaced,” the group says in a statement. “To raise awareness and show tense New Yorkers that help is on the way, the group will be on the airwaves in the weeks before session.”

The campaign is led by Jewish and Black advocacy organizations including the Anti-Defamation League.

New York’s longstanding ban on public masking was repealed during the Covid pandemic.

Nassau County on Long Island passed an anti-masking bill introduced by an Israeli American legislator earlier this year.

Israeli official: Hamas showing some flexibility in hostage talks, but nothing certain

Palestinians stand in wait for a food portion at a distribution center south of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 17, 2024 (BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
Palestinians stand in wait for a food portion at a distribution center south of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 17, 2024 (BASHAR TALEB / AFP)

Hamas is showing some flexibility in hostage talks, an Israeli official with knowledge of the details tells The Times of Israel.

The terror group understands that a deal will mean a ceasefire, but not an end to the war, at least in the first phase, says the official, attributing the flexibility to diplomatic and military pressure and Hamas’s isolation.

“Will that be enough to lead to a deal? We don’t know. In the end, the ball is in Hamas’s court,” the official says.

Hamas has in the past insisted it will not agree to any deal that does not guarantee an end to the war.

Arab and Israeli officials said yesterday that the terror group has shown flexibility regarding the terms of the IDF withdrawal from Gaza, indicating it is prepared to allow Israeli troops to remain in the key Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors during the first phase of the deal after long demanding their immediate pullout from those routes.

“If Hamas says, ‘Come to a deal now,’ there will be a deal today,” says the official, adding that there are currently “open conversations” among working groups in Qatar. An Israeli delegation could head to Cairo in the coming days.

Israel is working through both mediating countries because it doesn’t know who will make the final call — Hamas’s leadership abroad, who have resided in Qatar, or the group’s leadership in Gaza, which is closer to Egypt.

But despite the positive signs, the deal could fall apart, cautioned the official. “They’ve refused every deal that was offered to them in this stage. They could still get cold feet and run away from it.”

In the meantime, Israel is still working on the much-discussed plan that would see a private American contractor provide humanitarian aid to Gaza in a small piece of territory as a pilot, to reduce Hamas control over aid in Gaza. “I can tell you we are in the stages where the operation will begin soon,” says the official. The initial pilot will have the company operating under IDF protection.

Israel has also cut down the number of trucks delivering food and products from private sources, including businessmen, because Hamas is far more likely to loot them than they are from trucks belonging to NGOs, says the official.

Iran’s rial hits a record low, battered by regional tensions and an energy crisis

Iranian banknotes are displayed by a street money exchanger at Ferdowsi square, Tehran's go-to venue for foreign currency exchange, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian banknotes are displayed by a street money exchanger at Ferdowsi square, Tehran's go-to venue for foreign currency exchange, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Iranian rial falls to its lowest level in history, losing more than 10% of value since Donald Trump won the US presidential election in November and signaling new challenges for Tehran as it remains locked in the wars raging in the Middle East.

The rial traded at 777,000 rials to the dollar, traders in Tehran say, down from 703,000 rials on the day Trump won.

Iran’s Central Bank has in the past flooded the market with more hard currencies in an attempt to improve the rate.

In an interview with state television Tuesday night, Central Bank Gov. Mohammad Reza Farzin said that the supply of foreign currency would increase and the exchange rate would be stabilized. He said that $220 million had been injected into the currency market.

The currency is plunging as Iran ordered the closure of schools, universities, and government offices today due to a worsening energy crisis exacerbated by harsh winter conditions. The crisis follows a summer of blackouts and is now compounded by severe cold, snow and air pollution.

Protesters who fired flare at PM’s home: We were held beside terrorists and spies

From left: Ofer Doron, Gal Doron, Amir Sadeh and Itay Yaffe at a court hearing at the Haifa District Court on December 2, 2024. (Flash90)
From left: Ofer Doron, Gal Doron, Amir Sadeh and Itay Yaffe at a court hearing at the Haifa District Court on December 2, 2024. (Flash90)

Four anti-government protesters accused of launching flares at the Caesarea home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month have said they were jailed beside “terrorists and spies,” in a letter from prison obtained by Channel 12.

The four, Rear Adm. (res.) Ofer Doron, 63, his son Gal Doron, 27, and two other longtime anti-government activists, Itay Yaffe, 62, and Amir Sadeh, 62, were indicted in the Haifa District Court on charges of carrying out an act of terror through the reckless and negligent use of fire and attempted arson.

They have argued they did not intend to hit the home and only meant to fire the flares in its vicinity in protest.

In their letter penned from detention, the four say: “We were interrogated by about 10 Shin Bet investigators for long days.”

“By the third day of the investigation, the investigators concluded that we had no intention to harm the prime minister or his residence,” they assert. At the same time, “We were interrogated as if it were a grave terrorist act, even though the flares we launched are completely legal.”

“In the Shin Bet interrogation facility, we were held in isolation, adjacent to cells of terrorists, spies, and detainees suspected of harming state security,” they say. “Later, we were transferred to the Turkish Detention Center at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem, where we were kept in a freezing and unbearable cell.”

“The attitude of the prison service guards was fair, but the conditions were harsh, certainly for men of our age,” they add. “We were treated as terrorists, even though all our actions were part of non-violent protest.”

They claim that in their act “there was no intention to harm or create panic. Our protest was solely intended to convey a message.”

US Jewish security group urges community security reviews ahead of Hanukkah

The head of a US Jewish security group urges the community to “refresh and recommit to their security protocols” for the Hanukkah holiday.

“Hanukkah is a very public celebration of Jewish life and it’s important for our rabbis and Jewish leaders to be mindful of security,” Dov Ben-Shimon, the head of the Community Security Service, tells The Times of Israel.

He stresses the importance of Jewish community coordination with law enforcement partners for the holiday.

American Jews have become more focused on protecting themselves since the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel and subsequent surge in antisemitism in the US, says Ben-Shimon, who took the reins of CSS last month. The organization coordinates security for Jewish groups around the US.

“We have clearly become a more security-conscious community,” Ben-Shimon says. “It’s been heartening to see the growing commitment of Jewish community leadership to protecting Jewish life.”

CIA chief Burns said to land in Qatar for Gaza talks

Channel 12 reports that CIA chief Bill Burns landed in Qatar a short time ago.

Burns is in the Gulf country for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza.

Amid truce, IDF destroys underground Hezbollah command center used to direct attacks

A tunnel in southern Lebanon that served as a Hezbollah command center was recently demolished by combat engineers, the IDF says.

According to the military, the underground facility was used by Hezbollah to direct numerous rocket attacks on Israeli towns in the Galilee in the past year.

Troops located weapons, surveillance equipment, and other military gear inside the tunnel, the IDF says.

The IDF says several weapons depots were located near the tunnel, including one inside a mosque, where hundreds of explosive devices, guns, grenades, and other equipment were stored.

After the tunnel was fully investigated by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, it was blown up.

PM’s defense team tells court no plan to have Sara Netanyahu testify

Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad also tells the court that the defense does not plan to have Netanyahu’s wife Sara testify.

The prime minister has noted in court that the primary individual making requests to Walla for better coverage was his wife’s friend Zeev Rubinstein, and insisted that he was either acting of his own accord or after consultation with Sara.

He has asserted, however, that he was unaware of such efforts, and that he believed many of Rubinstein’s requests came following updates he received from a message distribution list operated by Sara or her staff.

Netanyahu’s attorney to prosecutor: You have no chance of a conviction

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attorney Amit Hadad at the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attorney Amit Hadad at the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

In a tetchy exchange in court, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense attorney Amit Hadad snipes at chief prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh that “you have no chance of a conviction,” after a fourth day of testimony in which Hadad and Netanyahu sought to demonstrate that the Walla news website frequently published articles distinctly hostile toward Netanyahu, and was not especially attentive to requests for improved coverage.

The exchange came after Judge Oded Shaham asked Hadad if he needed to repeat the same questions to Netanyahu regarding every example of alleged interference in Walla’s coverage mentioned in the indictment.

One of the indictments against Netanyahu alleges he formed a deal with Walla’s then-owner Shaul Elovitch for favorable coverage, and in return advanced regulatory decisions that benefited Elovitch’s controlling share in the Bezeq telecommunications company.

Throughout the four days of Netanyahu’s testimony, Hadad has gone through examples of requests allegedly made by Netanyahu and his family and associates seeking better coverage from Walla, and forensically examined them, asking Netanyahu the same questions time and again: whether he was involved in the request, his opinion on the slant of the article, and how well he felt Walla had adjusted it after the request was made.

Netanyahu to mom of missing US journalist: Israel careful not to hit area where he might be

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the mother of a US journalist missing in Syria that Israel is careful not to strike areas in which Austin Tice might be held.

In a letter to Tice’s mother Debra Tice, published by journalist Barak Ravid, Netanyahu says: “Please rest assured that Israel and its intelligence agencies are fully coordinated with the relevant American authorities on the matter and that the IDF is not active in the area where Austin may be located.”

Debra had written to Netanyahu asking him to halt Israeli strikes in a particular neighborhood of Damascus where Tice is credibly believed to be held.

“We have credible information… that Austin may now be held in a prison called Mt. Qasioun prison. This prison has a secret tunnel which connects the Al-Maliki neighborhood to the Republic Palace. The prison is located underneath a military museum,” Debra Tice wrote.

“We are aware that your military has an active campaign in the area, preventing rescuers from approaching and accessing the prison facility,” she said. “We urgently request you pause strikes on this area and deploy Israeli assets to search for Austin Tice and other prisoners. Time is of the essence. We are calling on you to leverage all your relationships and resources to liberate that prison.”

Israel does not have troops on the ground in the area, with its forces only deployed near the Israeli border to secure it.

France’s highest court upholds sentence of former president Sarkozy in corruption case

French former president Nicolas Sarkozy attends a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, November 11, 2019. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP, file)
French former president Nicolas Sarkozy attends a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, November 11, 2019. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP, file)

France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, has upheld an appeal court decision that found former president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption.

“The convictions and sentences are therefore final,” a court statement says.

Sarkozy, who faces one year in prison, is entitled to ask to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet — as is the case for any sentence of two years or less.

Sarkozy was France’s president from 2007 to 2012. He retired from public life in 2017.

Arab Israelis show increasing sense of ‘shared destiny’ with Jews and Israel – study

A new Tel Aviv University study has revealed “encouraging data regarding coexistence in Israel,” with 57.8% of Arab Israelis saying they “believe that the ongoing war has fostered a sense of shared destiny between Arabs and Jews in Israel,” the university says in a press release.

The study was conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation at the university’s Moshe Dayan Center.

The announcement noted that a June 2024 survey had found only 51.6% of Arab respondents felt the same. And a similar study conducted in November 2023, just a month after the October 7, 2023, attacks, showed that “the majority of the Arab public (69.8%) said the war had harmed solidarity between Arabs and Jews,” it says.

And so “the current figure represents a statistically significant increase in this metric,” the release notes.

The press release highlights further results from the current survey:

Only 9% of Arab Israeli respondents said that “their Palestinian identity is the dominant component of their identity,” with 33.9% noting Israeli citizenship, 29.2% citing religious affiliation and 26.9% their Arab identity as the “dominant elements” in their personal identity.

Just 6.7% “think Hamas should continue governing the Gaza Strip after the war,” while 20.7% favored the Palestinian Authority, 20.1% a multinational force, 17.9% Israel and 15.8% “local Gazan entities.”

More than half of the respondents, 53.4%, said “a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia could signal a positive regional development,” and almost half (49.2%) said that “resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should not be a precondition for such an agreement.”

A majority of Israeli-Arab respondents, 71.8%, “support the inclusion of an Arab party in the Israeli government after the next elections,” with some 47.8% supporting Arab parties joining “any government, not just a center-left coalition.”

At the same time, a “weak sense of personal security,” largely caused by “the high incidence of violence in Arab communities,” was reported by 65.8% of the respondents.

A majority, 65.1%, reported “a relatively good economic situation.”

“It appears… that under the dark shadow cast by the war over all citizens of Israel, both Arabs and Jews, meaningful bright spots are emerging, that could redefine the rules of the game in the post-war era,” says Dr. Arik Rudnitzky, project manager at the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation.

Bill aimed at stopping terror supporters running in local elections passes preliminary Knesset vote

A bill apparently aimed at prohibiting individuals who support terrorism or armed struggle against the State of Israel, or electoral slates that include such individuals, from running in local council elections passes a preliminary vote in the Knesset plenum 37-14

The bill, sponsored by Likud MK Dan Illouz, will be sent to the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee to be prepared for further readings.

It is extremely similar to a pair of nearly identical bills on the same subject which passed their own preliminary readings in the plenum last month, which seek to bring the Local Authorities Bill in line with an existing law barring individuals who support terror and racism from running for the Knesset.

It is likely that the three bills will be combined as they progress through the legislative process.

The plenum’s approval of Illouz’s bill also follows the passage, in a preliminary reading, of another bill changing the criteria for banning candidates from running for the Knesset, which could make it easier to push out Arab-led parties and lawmakers.

That bill, an amendment to Basic Law: The Knesset, would expand the current rule whereby candidates can only be banned from running if there is a significant body of evidence that they have supported terror, to include isolated support of acts carried out by a lone attacker and not just those by a group or enemy state.

Among the acts that would be construed as support for terror would be visiting the family of an attack suspect.

Former High Court justice: Coalition’s plans to overhaul media ‘a danger to Israeli democracy’

Former Supreme Court justice Hanan Melcer, who now serves as president of the Israeli Press Council, at an Economic Affairs committee meeting at the Knesset on December 18, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Former Supreme Court justice Hanan Melcer, who now serves as president of the Israeli Press Council, at an Economic Affairs committee meeting at the Knesset on December 18, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Former Supreme Court justice Hanan Melcer, who now serves as president of the Israeli Press Council, warns that the government’s plans to overhaul the media market poses “a danger to Israeli democracy” and pledges to “use all means at our disposal to thwart this plot.”

Addressing the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, Melcer criticizes what he describes as a strategy of pushing multiple private member bills at once in an effort to obscure the full scope of what is happening.

“If we look at the picture as a whole, it is to negate the democratic nature of the state, because its democratic nature depends on free media,” he tells lawmakers.

Critics, including the Foreign Press Association and the Union of Journalists in Israel, have accused the government of undermining democracy through the advancement of legislative initiatives that would grant it oversight over television ratings data and privatize the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation and Army Radio.

“The private market is suffocating from excessive regulation and public broadcasting is not public and sometimes harmful,” counters Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, calling for a “substantive, responsible discussion that is the basis for democratic decision-making.”

“Public broadcasting was required in the last century; today there is no justification for funding such a product at public expense, certainly not in news and current affairs. I intend to privatize or close the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation; not only is it worthless — it harms the market and perpetuates injustices,” he asserts, railing against “propaganda” and “biased, offensive broadcasts.”

“My vision for public broadcasting is no news and current affairs funded by the public. When they say I want Russia, it is exactly the opposite. Channel 11 will be dedicated to original productions and Israeli creations only,” with the government allocating NIS 500 million ($139 million) for such content, Karhi says.

“This shows that the private bills are the government’s proxy, and then they should have gone through the attorney general,” Melcer shoots back.

Earlier today, the European Broadcasting Union warned that the planned changes could jeopardize Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, restrict access to World Cup broadcasts, and “lead to a vacuum in reliable news dissemination” about Israel.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi at an Economic Affairs committee meeting at the Knesset on December 18, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Searches renewed in north for 5 missing, including 10-year-old Haymanut Kasau and teen Moishy Klinerman

Relatives of missing child Haymanut Kasau join searches near Safed on December 18, 2024 (David Cohen/Flash90)
Relatives of missing child Haymanut Kasau join searches near Safed on December 18, 2024 (David Cohen/Flash90)

Specialized searches are underway in the north in the hopes of locating five missing people, including a young girl who hasn’t been seen since February.

Police and dog units are looking for Haymanut Kasau, Moishy Klinerman, Rafael Haim Hadad, David Israel Fedida and Moshe Ilowitz.

Kasau was last seen on February 25, handing out municipal election campaign leaflets outside the Jewish Agency absorption center, where she had lived for the past three years since immigrating with her family from Ethiopia. She was 9 years old at the time of her disappearance, but has since turned 10.

Klinerman, a yeshiva student from Modiin Illit’s Bratslav Hasidic community, disappeared in 2022 aged 16.

It is unclear if any new information triggered the searches.

IDF launches investigation into allegations of misconduct by Paratroopers Brigade commander

Col. Ami Biton, the incoming commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, in a handover ceremony on May 30, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
Col. Ami Biton, the incoming commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, in a handover ceremony on May 30, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says a senior officer has been appointed to investigate repeated allegations of misconduct by the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, Col. Ami Biton.

Channel 12 news and the Kan public broadcaster reported earlier that several senior reserve officers in the brigade filed a letter to Biton’s former superior Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfus — who commanded the 98th Division — complaining about his conduct amid the war.

The letters allege that Biton did not engage during the fighting, unnecessarily risked the lives of his soldiers, treated his subordinates in a humiliating way, and spent a significant amount of time alongside female soldiers and officers.

One reserve officer called Biton “the worst officer in the army,” in a letter cited by Kan.

In response to the reports, the IDF says that “these are claims that were received several months ago and were examined in the past, but in light of their return, are being examined again now.”

The chief of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, has appointed an unnamed brigadier general to investigate the claims made by the reservists and present him with conclusions as soon as possible, the military says.

The IDF adds that Biton “in the past year led the Paratroopers Brigade throughout the war with significant achievements on all fronts.”

During the beginning of the war, parents of troops in the brigade complained that Biton did not allow the soldiers out of the Gaza Strip for a brief furlough to meet their families for some three months straight, while every other brigade had at least one short break during that time.

Testifying in corruption trial, PM says he’s too busy to speak with his wife about events of the day

Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu addresses supporters at the party's campaign headquarters in Jerusalem early on November 2, 2022, with his wife Sara at his side, as votes are counted in the general elections. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu addresses supporters at the party's campaign headquarters in Jerusalem early on November 2, 2022, with his wife Sara at his side, as votes are counted in the general elections. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testifies that serving as prime minister he has been unable to be an “attentive ear” to his wife Sara, and that in his role he is unable to speak with her in detail about the events of the day.

Netanyahu makes these remarks in reference to allegations that he, his family members, or other intermediaries demanded and received favorable coverage of the prime minister from the Walla news website in a quid pro quo with its owner.

“Your honors – if only I could be an attentive ear to my wife. Unfortunately the type of life we live, the job I have, this is not possible, we meet late at night for a few minutes, we talk about the children and the family,” Netanyahu says addressing the Jerusalem District Court judges directly.

“There is no possibility of going over all the events of the day, it doesn’t exist,” he continues, insisting that he was not party to the messages Sara sent to Rubinstein about such coverage since he had neither the time or a phone with which to be updated about such messages.

Netanyahu’s comments reference specifically the allegation in the indictment that he was directly involved in a request to Walla relating to the coverage of a visit his wife made to the grave West Point military cemetery of Israeli general Mickey Marcus, who beforehand had been a US colonel.

Walla covered Sara Netanyahu’s visit negatively, describing it as “an excursion,” so Zeev Rubinstein requested from Walla CEO Ilan Yeshua that it be changed. The indictment alleges that Netanyahu was personally involved in the request, and that Walla responded positively.

“I had no hand in this, not a finger, not fingernail, because I was very, very busy,” says Netanyahu, who has also repeated throughout the day that he believes Walla to have been an “unimportant” and “marginal” website that was not on his radar.

Rubinstein’s message to Yeshua was also written in a pleading manner, which Netanyahu argues contradicts the claim that he had a quid pro quo agreement with Walla owner Elovitch, since if that was the case his alleged go-between would not need to plead for better coverage but would rather demand it.

Hadad also points out that the alleged positive “response” from Walla to Rubinstein’s request was simply to remove the article from the website, 11 hours after Rubinstein’s message to Yeshua, and not to reframe the item.

Syria’s first commercial flight since ousting of Assad takes off from Damascus

A man lifts an independence-era Syrian flag as passengers disembark from a Syrian Air aircraft arriving from Damascus, at the airport of the northern city of Aleppo on December 18, 2024 (Muhammad HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
A man lifts an independence-era Syrian flag as passengers disembark from a Syrian Air aircraft arriving from Damascus, at the airport of the northern city of Aleppo on December 18, 2024 (Muhammad HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

The first commercial flight since the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad takes off from Damascus airport, offering Syrians a glimmer of hope after years of war and decades of oppression.

Earlier this week, airport staff painted the three-star independence flag on planes, a symbol of the 2011 uprising now adopted by the transitional authorities.

In the terminal, the new flag also replaces the one linked to Assad’s era.

Culture minister threatens Batsheva Dance Company’s funding over use of Palestinian flag in show

Illustrative: Dancers of the Batsheva Dance Ensemble seen during rehearsals at the company's studio in the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, on November 23, 2014 (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Illustrative: Dancers of the Batsheva Dance Ensemble seen during rehearsals at the company's studio in the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, on November 23, 2014 (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Culture Minister Miki Zohar asks Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to examine whether the Batsheva Dance Company is in violation of its state funding over a performance that included the Palestinian flag.

Zohar says in the letter to Smotrich that he received “several complaints from people who attended the show and said that in the final segment, three Palestinian flags were waved on stage and thrown at the main dancer in an act that simulated shrouds.”

“I am saddened to see that a year after the most horrific massacre in the history of the country, there are already those who forgot our hostages in Hamas tunnels and forget the soldiers fighting on all fronts, and boldly wave a flag that opposes the State of Israel,” Zohar writes.

According to Channel 12, the Palestinian flag was among some 40 other flags used in the performance, and while Zohar claimed it was a new show by the acclaimed dance troupe, it was in fact their iconic Anafaza, which premiered in December 1993.

In a statement, Batsheva says that it is saddened by Zohar’s letter.

“There is no reason to deny a budget according to the budget law. The use of the Palestinian flag in the work, alongside dozens of other flags, was done in a broad artistic context,” the statement reads.

Earlier this month, Zohar asked Smotrich to examine the possibility of denying funding to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque based on the films screened at the arthouse theater as part of the Solidarity Festival.

Zohar wrote in a letter to Smotrich that the annual festival screened films that could be described as “extremist,” including movies that opposed the State of Israel, slandered IDF soldiers and the army, and aimed to strengthen the Palestinian identity of Arab residents of mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel.

Zohar asked Smotrich to examine whether the Tel Aviv Cinematheque violated any grounds of the budget law, which could then allow the denial of its state funding.

Nearly 2 million people below poverty line in Israel in 2023, including 870,000 children

Illustrative: A young boy searches in a garbage container in downtown Jerusalem, December 9, 2020 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Illustrative: A young boy searches in a garbage container in downtown Jerusalem, December 9, 2020 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Nearly two million people were living below the poverty line in Israel in 2023, including 872,400 children and 158,500 senior citizens, according to an annual report released by the National Insurance Institute.

A total of 1.98 million people were living below the line in Israel, placing the country second to last in the OECD rating of poverty according to disposable income.

The figures mean that 20.7 percent of people in the country lived in poverty, with 27.9% of children and 12.8% of senior citizens below the line.

The report also highlights that rates of deprivation are at their highest in the Arab and Haredi communities. The poorest locality is the Haredi settlement Modiin Ilit, followed by Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak and Lod.

Among its recommendations, the National Insurance Institute says care must be taken with the Arrangements Law — a companion to the state budget that determines how funds will be disbursed — to ensure that the most vulnerable sectors of the population are not further harmed.

Judges express skepticism over dozens of incidents cited in indictment against Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attorney Amit Hadad at the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attorney Amit Hadad at the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The judges of the Jerusalem District Court express skepticism over dozens of incidents cited in the indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as examples in which he received favorable coverage from the Walla news website as a result of requests made to its CEO.

The indictment itself cites 315 such incidents, but in dozens of them it does not mention that Netanyahu was involved but rather alleges that he was aware of the requests in general.

Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Hadad asserts that a large proportion of the requests for favorable coverage cited by the indictment were made without Netanyahu’s knowledge.

Prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh of the State Attorney’s Office notes that one of the general clauses of the indictment alleges that Netanyahu’s involvement in making such requests was done “either directly or through intermediaries,” and says that the incidents where the prime minister’s direct involvement is not asserted were done with his “basic, psychological awareness through an intermediary.”

Tirosh asserts that the requests were made by Netanyahu’s son Yair or his wife Sara and that Netanyahu would therefore be aware of this.

Judge Moshe Baram asks Tirosh if she is claiming that there could have been involvement of Netanyahu without awareness, to which she says no, but Judge Oded Shaham quizzes her further, asking how then he was involved.

As a result of the questions, Tirosh requests a pause in proceedings to reread the indictment, but the judges insist on continuing.

The indictment alleges that Netanyahu or intermediaries of his demanded favorable coverage of the prime minister from Walla in return for regulatory decisions which the prime minister advanced to benefit Walla owner Shaul Elovitch’s business interests, specifically the Bezeq telecommunications company in which he was a controlling shareholder.

Hadad and Netanyahu have sought to demonstrate in the first four days of the prime minister’s testimony that Netanyahu was not involved or aware of the overwhelming majority of such requests and that Walla’s coverage remained intensely hostile to Netanyahu regardless, such that he received no bribe.

IDF issues evacuation warnings in central Gaza’s Bureij following rocket fire at troops

The IDF has issued an evacuation warning to several neighborhoods in central Gaza’s Bureij, following rocket fire from the area at Israeli troops operating in the Strip.

“Terror organizations are once again firing rockets from this area that has been warned several times in the past,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman says, publishing a map of the zones that are to be evacuated.

Civilians in the area are called to move to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, which is located nearby.

Supreme Court says state should expedite decision on recognizing slain hostage Alon Shamriz as fallen soldier

Alon Shamriz. (Courtesy)
Alon Shamriz. (Courtesy)

The Supreme Court hears a petition from the family of hostage Alon Shamriz, who was mistakenly killed by IDF troops in Gaza in December after he and two others managed to escape their captors, on a request to have him recognized as a fallen soldier.

The judges tell the state that it must hasten to make a decision on the matter “to allow the family peace of mind and justice.”

Shamriz, 26, was abducted by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, along with Yotam Haim, 28. They were held captive with Samar Fouad Talalka, 24, who was abducted from Nir Am.

“We left the hearing encouraged. We feel that the judges are giving their support and urge the state to set a final date for the decision,” Alon’s brother Yonatan says. “In light of the judges’ comments, we demand and expect the defense minister and the army to make the just decision immediately.”

Last December, Shamriz, Haim and Talalka were shot dead by IDF troops in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaiya as they tried to reach safety, after they were mistaken by troops for Hamas gunmen.

Days earlier, Shamriz was recorded by a GoPro camera mounted on a dog from the military’s Oketz canine unit, which had been sent into a Gaza City building during a gun battle. In the recording, he can be heard calling for help and identifying the trio as hostages.

The IDF said that it believes the three of them “fled or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them captive” as IDF forces closed in, and noted that troops had not encountered any civilians in the war-torn area of the Strip in some time.

After the three were killed, the IDF released images they apparently left behind which read “SOS” and, in Hebrew, “Help, 3 hostages.” The signs were written on fabric using leftover food.

Shamriz’s family believe his experience as an elite soldier led to the survival of the three hostages for a number of days in war-torn Gaza, and note that he had been called up for reserve duty on October 7.

They have said they will not put a headstone on his grave until he is buried in a military cemetery.

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces on December 17, 2023, shows a sign reading “Help, 3 hostages,” that was put up in Gaza by three Israeli hostages who were later mistakenly killed by troops. (Israel Defense Forces)

Iran executes man convicted of attacks on dozens of women in Tehran

Iranian authorities executed a man convicted of “corruption of earth” for attacking dozens of women on the capital’s streets, the judiciary says.

Rastgooei Kandolaj attacked at least 59 women using an awl, causing injuries and sowing “terror in Tehran,” the judiciary’s Mizen Online news website says.

Multiple women had reported that the assailant was riding a motorcycle when he carried out the attacks, Mizan says.

The report did not specify when Kandolaj was arrested.

He was handed down a death sentence after being convicted of the capital offense “corruption on earth,” Mizan says.

“The death sentence of… Rastgooei Kandolaj, who injured women and girls with an awl and created terror in Tehran, was carried out,” it says.

The Islamic Republic executes more people per year than any other nation except China, for which no reliable figures are available, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.

IDF admits settler group crossed northern border and entered Lebanon earlier this month

Israeli settler activists set up tents in what they claimed is southern Lebanon, which the IDF initially denied, December 7, 2024. (Uri Tzafon Movement)
Israeli settler activists set up tents in what they claimed is southern Lebanon, which the IDF initially denied, December 7, 2024. (Uri Tzafon Movement)

The IDF acknowledges that a group of settler activists crossed the northern border and entered Lebanon earlier this month, close to the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras.

Initially, the military said that the activists set up an encampment near an Israeli border community and were eventually dispersed by soldiers, as the area was a closed military zone.

After investigating the matter further, the military says that “the civilians did indeed cross the blue line by several meters, and after being identified by IDF troops, they were dispersed.”

“This is a grave incident that is being investigated,” the army says.

“Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Lebanese territory without coordination endangers one’s life and harms the IDF’s ability to operate in the area and fulfill its mission,” the military adds.

A military source says that in recent weeks the army has worked to block various entry points into Lebanon along Israel’s border fence, and troops were updated on the procedures for civilians reaching the border area.

Israel expressed concern ‘wild card’ Musk could share sensitive data with others – report

Elon Musk listens as US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024. (Allison ROBBERT / POOL / AFP)
Elon Musk listens as US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024. (Allison ROBBERT / POOL / AFP)

Israel is among a number of United States allies that have expressed concerns Elon Musk could share sensitive information with others, defense officials tell The New York Times.

Israel’s Defense Ministry called Musk a “wild card” after early 2023 meetings between Israeli military intelligence officials and US defense officials over Starlink, two individuals with knowledge of the talks tell the newspaper.

Israeli officials were reportedly concerned Musk could pass sensitive information about Israel to other parties, although they eventually allowed Starlink to begin operating this year.

The report says the US Air Force recently denied high-security access to Musk due to potential security risks, with the billionaire and his SpaceX company facing at least three federal reviews over whether they have complied with federal reporting rules aimed at protecting national security.

A 2018 incident in which Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, smoked marijuana on a live web show with Joe Rogan also sparked a security clearance review by the Pentagon.

The New York Times says the new reviews were initiated by the Air Force, the Defense Department’s inspector general and the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. It cites eight people with knowledge of the rocket company and internal documents.

Last month, two Democratic US senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Jack Reed, wrote in a letter that reports that Musk has held multiple calls with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, should be investigated by the Pentagon and law enforcement agencies on national security grounds. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall responded last week to Shaheen that he shared those concerns but could not comment on the status of a person’s security clearance.

Tech billionaire Musk spent at least $270 million to help Donald Trump win the US presidency, according to new federal filings, making him the country’s biggest political donor.

Trump has selected the South African-born tycoon and fellow ally Vivek Ramaswamy to head the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, through which the pair have promised to deliver billions of dollars of cuts in federal spending.

Musk does not respond to a request for comment and there is no comment from the Israeli Defense Ministry.

Pregnant sandbar shark washes up dead on Israeli coast with fish hooks in stomach

The corpse of a pregnant, two meter (6.5 foot) long sandbar shark washes up on the central coast, close to the Hadera power station, where warm waters attract mostly male sharks during the winter.

Efforts to save seven fetuses fail and while tests continue, an autopsy confirms the presence of two fishing hooks in the shark’s stomach, one of which pierced the stomach wall.

This species of shark is in danger of extinction in the Mediterranean Sea and considered vulnerable worldwide.

Netanyahu takes the stand for 4th day of testimony in his corruption trial

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attorney Amit Hadad (R) at the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attorney Amit Hadad (R) at the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes the stand at the Tel Aviv District Court for a fourth day of testimony in his corruption trial.

Yesterday’s scheduled hearing was canceled in order to enable the premier to visit the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on the Golan Heights.

Netanyahu is on trial in three corruption cases. He faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in Case 1000 and Case 2000, and charges of bribery as well as fraud and breach of trust in Case 4000.

Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and claims the charges were fabricated in a witch hunt and political coup led by the police, state prosecution and the media.

Netanyahu trial judges say they accepted delay in his testimony due to ‘security considerations’ for visit to Syrian Hermon

(From right) IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Northern Command chief Ori Gordin and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar atop Mount Hermon on the Syrian Side, December 17, 2024. (Defense Ministry)
(From right) IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Northern Command chief Ori Gordin and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar atop Mount Hermon on the Syrian Side, December 17, 2024. (Defense Ministry)

The Jerusalem District Court confirms that it agreed to cancel yesterday’s scheduled hearing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his criminal trial in order to enable him to visit the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on the Golan Heights that day.

The judges note that they are not able to provide the details for their decision, but say that they related to “diplomatic and security considerations.”

The weather predictions for the rest of the week at the site where Netanyahu visited were also a consideration, they say.

European Broadcasting Union: Privatizing Kan could jeopardize Eurovision participation, restrict World Cup coverage access

Israel's Eden Golan is introduced at the start of the Eurovision Song Contest, Malmo, Sweden, May 11, 2024 (Eurovision screenshot)
Israel's Eden Golan is introduced at the start of the Eurovision Song Contest, Malmo, Sweden, May 11, 2024 (Eurovision screenshot)

The European Broadcasting Union, organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest, sends a letter to lawmakers expressing “deep concern” over government plans to privatize the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

“Such a move would not only jeopardize Israel’s media landscape but could also have significant ramifications for the country’s democratic foundations and international reputation,” the letter to the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee reads.

“Shutting down the IPBC, taking control or reducing its budget, would signal a departure from the standards upheld by democratic nations worldwide and risk eroding not only domestic confidence but also International credibility,” the letter states.

“[Kan’s] membership of the EBU provides Israelis with significant benefits, including a role in key international events such as the Eurovision Song Contest – the best performing TV show in Israel last year – and access to major sports rights, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, ensuring free-to-air coverage for all Israelis,” the letter reads. “Kan’s active participation in the international creative industry has showcased Israel’s talent, culture, and innovation to the world.”

“Privatizing the IPBC would jeopardize this relationship and almost certainly lead to Kan’s exclusion from our Union, diminishing the nation’s role in key events and restricting Israeli citizens access to such content,” the EBU says.

The EBU also noted that Kan`s coverage of the Hamas onslaught on October 7, 2023, was the most widely distributed news footage via their news exchange.

“Weakening or dismantling this institution could lead to a vacuum in reliable news dissemination, both domestically and internationally,” the EBU warns.

Smotrich: Potential deal is ‘serious error’ that neither meets war aims nor brings all hostages home

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leads a Religious Zionism faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leads a Religious Zionism faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich comes out against the potential ceasefire-hostage deal, calling it a “serious error.”

“It’s a serious error that neither serves the goals and interests of the State of Israel in the war, nor [brings] the return of the hostages, because in the end it is a partial deal,” he tells the Haredi radio station Kol Barama, according to the Ynet news site.

“Hamas is at its lowest point since the beginning of the war, and this is not the time to give it a lifeline,” he says, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “knows what our red lines are; we [his Religious Zionism party] have a great influence over the government’s moves.”

According to reports, Hamas is demanding a permanent end to the war along with the withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, while Israel is seeking a temporary pause, during which some of the hostages would be released, followed by a resumption of its fighting in order to finish dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.

Relatives of hostages and others have spoken out against the prospect of a phased deal, which could fall apart before all hostages are let go.

High school students hold nationwide walkout for hostages: ‘We’ll never learn to live with this’

Teens at the Mor Metro West high school in Ra'anana, where hostages Naama Levy and Guy Illouz attended, join nationwide student walkout for hostages on December 18, 2024 (Danor Aharon via the pro-democracy protest groups)
Teens at the Mor Metro West high school in Ra'anana, where hostages Naama Levy and Guy Illouz attended, join nationwide student walkout for hostages on December 18, 2024 (Danor Aharon via the pro-democracy protest groups)

Thousands of students at middle schools and high schools across the country hold walkouts in a call for the hostages to be freed.

The protests are the initiative of student councils and mark the second birthday in captivity of hostage Matan Zangauker.

His mother, Einav, speaks at a protest held by the students at Kfar Hayarok, north of Tel Aviv.

“We should all make a wish that [Matan] will be the last hostage to celebrate a birthday in captivity,” she says.

At the Blich High School in Ramat Gan, students hold banners reading “we won’t learn to live with this” and “we are sorry you aren’t home.”

According to Channel 12 news, students at some 200 schools are participating in the action.

 

Report: Revolutionary Guards control up to 50% of Iran’s oil exports, using income to fund proxies

Iranian Revolutionary Guard cadets march during an annual military parade marking the anniversary of the beginning of war against Iran by former Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein 44 years ago, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, September 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian Revolutionary Guard cadets march during an annual military parade marking the anniversary of the beginning of war against Iran by former Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein 44 years ago, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, September 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have tightened their grip on the country’s oil industry and control up to half the exports that generate most of Tehran’s revenue and fund its proxies across the Middle East, according to Western officials, security sources and Iranian insiders.

All aspects of the oil business have come under the growing influence of the Guards, from the shadow fleet of tankers that secretively ship sanctioned crude, to logistics and the front companies selling the oil, mostly to China, according to more than a dozen people interviewed by Reuters.

The extent of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) control over oil exports has not previously been reported.

Despite tough Western sanctions designed to choke Iran’s energy industry, reimposed by former US President Donald Trump in 2018, Iran generates more than $50 billion a year in oil revenue, by far its largest source of foreign currency and its principal connection to the global economy.

Six specialists – Western officials and security experts as well as Iranian and trading sources – say the Guards control up to 50% of Iran’s oil exports, a sharp increase from about 20% three years ago. The sources declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Three of the estimates were based on intelligence documents about Iranian shipping while others derived their figures from monitoring shipping activity by tankers and companies linked to the IRGC. Reuters is unable to determine the exact extent of the IRGC’s control.

The IRGC’s growing domination of the oil industry adds to its influence in all areas of Iran’s economy and also makes it harder for Western sanctions to hit home – given the Guards are already designated as a terrorist organization by Washington.

As part of their expansion in the industry, the Guards have muscled in on the territory of state institutions such as the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and its NICO oil trading subsidiary, according to four of the sources.

The IRGC, NIOC, NICO and Iran’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Bus driver lightly hurt as gunmen open fire during uncoordinated visit to Nablus tomb

The compound of Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus, April 10, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
The compound of Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus, April 10, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

The driver of a bus who took a group to visit Joseph’s Tomb in the Palestinian city of Nablus overnight without prior coordination with the military was lightly injured when gunmen opened fire at his vehicle, Hebrew-language media reports.

According to reports, the driver dropped the group of 22 men at the tomb and his vehicle was attacked by Palestinian gunmen as he left the area.

The Israel Defense Forces then sent troops to the area to extract the pilgrims and the bus driver.

In a statement, the military says the men were transferred to the Israel Police for questioning.

The Kan public broadcaster reports the men were members of the ultra-Orthodox Shuvu Bonim cult led by convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland.

Last week, three members of the sect were lightly injured when gunmen opened fire at them during an uncoordinated visit to the tomb.

In June, a number of members of the sect entered Nablus in an attempt to visit the tomb on an uncoordinated visit, leading the army to send a large number of forces into the area to retrieve them.

Before the war, busloads of Orthodox Jews visited Joseph’s Tomb under IDF protection on a nearly monthly basis, and the pilgrimages almost always sparked violent clashes with Palestinian locals.

The IDF bars Israeli citizens from entering Palestinian cities without prior authorization and protection, and some criticize the monthly incursions as an unnecessary provocation that additionally places Israeli soldiers at risk.

UK, France, Germany: No ‘credible civilian’ purpose for Iran growing its uranium stockpile

The reactor building of Iran's nuclear power plant and electricity poles are seen, at Bushehr, Iran, 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, February 27, 2005. (AP/Vahid Salemi)
The reactor building of Iran's nuclear power plant and electricity poles are seen, at Bushehr, Iran, 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, February 27, 2005. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Britain, France and Germany accuse Iran of growing its stockpile of high enriched uranium to “unprecedented levels” without “any credible civilian justification.”

The three countries known as the E3 say in a statement that Iran must “reverse its nuclear escalation.”

Iran has increased its manufacturing of enriched uranium such that it is the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60 percent, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog says.

That level is well on the way to the 90% required for an atomic bomb.

“Iran’s stockpile of High Enriched Uranium has also reached unprecedented levels, again without any credible civilian justification. It gives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons,” the trio say in the statement.

“Iran has ramped up its installation of advanced centrifuges, which is yet another damaging step in Iran’s efforts to undermine the nuclear deal that they claim to support.”

Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and says both its space program and nuclear activities are for purely civilian purposes. However, US intelligence agencies and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003, and continued to develop its nuclear program beyond civilian necessity. Israel contends that the Islamic Republic never truly abandoned its nuclear weapons program.

Iran is committed to Israel’s destruction. Over the past year, it has twice fired massive barrages of missiles at Israel, which has vowed to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Israel has struck key Iranian military facilities in retaliation for both attacks, which came in the context of a multifront war opened by Iranian terror proxies on the Jewish state.

‘I spoke with him and we’ll speak again,’ Biden says when asked if he’ll talk to Netanyahu about Gaza

US President Joe Biden, alongside his grandson Beau, speaks to reporters as he departs the White House enroute to Wilmington, Delaware, on December 17, 2024, in Washington. (Drew Angerer/AFP)
US President Joe Biden, alongside his grandson Beau, speaks to reporters as he departs the White House enroute to Wilmington, Delaware, on December 17, 2024, in Washington. (Drew Angerer/AFP)

Asked by reporters whether he’ll speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a potential hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza before he leaves office, US President Joe Biden responds, “I spoke with him and we’ll speak again.”

It’s unclear whether Biden is referring to a recent call with Netanyahu that has not yet been publicized.

The last call between the two leaders read out by the White House was on November 26, the day the US announced a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams calls himself a ‘modern day Maccabbee’ at Hanukkah event

New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosts a Hanukkah event at his official residence in New York City, December 17, 2024. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosts a Hanukkah event at his official residence in New York City, December 17, 2024. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams declares himself a “modern day Maccabbee” during a Hanukkah event held at New York City’s official mayoral residence.

Adams reflects on the history of Hanukkah in his speech to a roomful of Jewish supporters at Gracie Mansion in the Upper East Side.

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Where are the Maccabbees today? Where are they? Who’s willing to stand up and fight for what is right?'” he says. “The symbol of the Maccabees is not only those of the Jewish faith, but it’s also those whom the Jewish people have helped throughout the years.”

He highlights the Jewish community’s contributions to other groups, such as the civil rights movement and humanitarian aid to Haiti.

“You will find that every place someone has been unfairly treated and persecuted, you saw Jewish organizations standing by and helping any way they can,” he says.

He vows to fight the “antisemitism that is rising across the entire region.”

“We’re committed to rid our city of any form of hate,” he says. “Eric Leroy Adams is a modern-day maccabee.”

Adams is introduced by the NYPD’s recently appointed commissioner, Jessica Tisch, who hails from a prominent Jewish family.

“This is a season of hope, resilience and renewal, values that resonate even more deeply this year,” Tisch says, linking the Hanukkah story to the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel and subsequent surge in antisemitism in the United States. Jews are targeted in hate crimes in New York far more than any other group.

“Then, as now, ‘Am yisrael chai,’ the people of Israel live,” she says. “It’s a powerful message and a lesson we’re learning again today.”

Adams is holding the yearly event as he contends with corruption charges that have thrown his reelection campaign into turmoil.

The election in the deep-blue city will likely be determined in the Democratic party primary in June. Adams faces challengers including the city comptroller, Brad Lander, a progressive Jew, and former Jewish comptroller Scott Stringer, a centrist.

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly considering a run for mayor and has been repeatedly speaking out against antisemitism in recent months.

Lawsuit claims State Department skirting US human rights law with Israel military aid

WASHINGTON — The State Department has carved out exceptions for close ally Israel that block a US law restricting foreign military support over human rights abuses, a lawsuit from a group of Palestinians in Gaza and American relatives assert.

Former State Department officials and crafters of the 1997 Leahy law are among those advising and backing the lawsuit.

The lawsuit details the barriers that it accuses the State Department of creating on Israel’s behalf to skirt enforcement and asks courts to intervene. That is after campus protests and moves by some lawmakers failed in their goal of limiting US military support to Israel over civilian deaths in Gaza during the war with Hamas.

The law bars US military assistance to foreign military units when there is credible evidence of gross human rights abuses.

The State and Justice departments decline to comment. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously denied that the department has given Israel a pass. “Do we have a double standard? The answer is no,” he said in April.

‘Antisemitic liar’: Israel blasts Irish president’s claim that it wants to settle Egypt

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar leads a Knesset faction meeting in Jerusalem on November 25, 2024. (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar leads a Knesset faction meeting in Jerusalem on November 25, 2024. (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar castigates comments made today by Ireland’s president, who accused Israel of breaching Lebanon’s and Syria’s sovereignty and charged, without evidence, that Jerusalem is seeking to establish settlements in Egypt.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar yesterday defended his decision to close Israel’s embassy in Ireland, saying that Dublin “encouraged” antisemitism under a prime minister he accused of hating Jews.

Responding earlier today, Irish President Michael Higgins said that “it is a very serious business to actually brand a people because in fact they disagree with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, who is in breach of so many bits of international law, and who has breached the sovereignty of three of his neighbors, in relation to Lebanon, Syria, and would like in fact actually to have a settlement into Egypt.”

“I think to suggest that because one criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu that one is antisemitic is such a gross defamation and slander,” Higgins added during a ceremony where Palestinian Authority envoy Jilan Abdalmajid presented her letter of credence.

In a new English-language statement, Sa’ar says: “Once an antisemitic liar — always an antisemitic liar,” going on to defend Israel’s actions on all three fronts.

“From Lebanese territory, Israel’s sovereignty was breached for over a year,” he says. “For no reason and unprovoked, Hezbollah joined Hamas on October 8th [2023] and since then fired tens of thousands of missiles, rockets and drones at Israeli citizens and communities. Israel did what any country would — it defended itself against a brutal aggressor.”

On Syria, Sa’ar says: “While Assad’s regime disintegrated, armed groups entered the buffer zone and attacked UNDOF forces, in violation of the Disengagement Agreement from 1974. Israel temporarily entered a few limited points to prevent the threat of radical Islamists against its citizens and communities. Israel will not wait for another [onslaught resembling what Hamas did on] October 7th [2023] on any of its borders.”

And regarding the Egypt settlement claim, he says: “Higgins invented the claim that Israel seeks to form settlements there. In the context of our peace agreement with Egypt, Israel withdrew from a huge area — all of the Sinai desert, and uprooted all of its communities there. This peace agreement has been maintained since 1979.”

Concluding his combative statement, Sa’ar brings up Ireland’s failure to join the Allies in fighting Nazi Germany in World War II.

“Let us not forget that Ireland was at best neutral during World War II.
At that time, the free world was fighting Hitler’s axis while Ireland sat on the side and did nothing.”

Israel and Saudi Arabia deny report claiming ‘breakthrough’ in normalization talks

File: Benjamin Netanyahu (right) during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 13, 2021; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 14, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90; Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP/File)
File: Benjamin Netanyahu (right) during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 13, 2021; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 14, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90; Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP/File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Saudi Arabia have both denied a report that claimed there has been a “breakthrough” in US-brokered normalization talks between Jerusalem and Riyadh.

Haaretz claimed earlier that Saudi Arabia has given up its longtime demand for the creation of a Palestinian state as a precondition for a normalization of ties with Israel, instead making do with a vague Israeli promise of a “pathway toward a Palestinian state.”

After right-wing reporters, and politicians including Avigdor Liberman, understood the report to mean Netanyahu has agreed to promise a Palestinian state, the Prime Minister’s Office calls the report “a complete lie,” adding: “Prime Minister Netanyahu has worked and is working against the establishment of a Palestinian state that will endanger Israel’s security.”

Meanwhile, the Saudis also strongly deny the report, saying there has been no breakthrough.

“The notion that the kingdom’s leadership has somehow modified its longstanding commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is equally baseless,” a statement issued to reporters by an unnamed Saudi official says.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to work towards ending the war in Gaza and helping the Palestinian people achieve their right to an independent state,” the statement adds.

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