Hamas is “not disarming,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. “They’re rearming.”
“It’s my impression that they’re trying to consolidate power, not give it up in Gaza,” says the South Carolina lawmaker.
He adds that Hezbollah in Lebanon “is trying to make more weapons.”
Netanyahu says that Graham is “right on both counts.”
“That’s an unacceptable outcome,” Graham responds. He says he came to Israel “for a purpose” — to make sure 2026 “is the year of peace and knocking out the bad guy.”
The two are meeting a week before Netanyahu flies to Florida to meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss the future of the precarious ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 21, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
