Tag Archive for: Israel News

News Update

The Israeli government formally authorized the renewal of land registration in Judea and Samaria for the first time since 1967, with Defense Minister Katz calling the move a “security-governance measure” intended to ensure full operational freedom and enforcement for the state in those areas. Critics say it advances “de-facto annexation” by making it easier for Israelis to claim land.

The IDF continued ground operations targeting Hamas infrastructure in eastern Rafah, reporting that units from the 7th Brigade eliminated six Hamas operatives within tunnel networks as part of ongoing “war between the wars” efforts, despite the ceasefire.

The Israeli cabinet approved establishing a supplementary international airport in the Negev at Tze’elim, amending previous plans and accelerating implementation alongside a parallel northern site. Officials said the move will help relieve pressure on Ben-Gurion Airport, preempt future aviation bottlenecks, and serve as a strategic infrastructure alternative. In addition to the Negev project, the government endorsed a plan to promote two international airports simultaneously — one in the Negev and another in the north at Ramat David — as part of an effort to expand national aviation capacity and regional economic growth.

Israel’s economy showed stronger-than-expected growth for 2025, with overall GDP rising about 3.1 % and per-capita output up nearly 1.7 %, led by a sharp increase in exports in the last quarter of the year despite low private consumption.

Controversy emerged in Europe over comments by UN envoy Francesca Albanese, who described Israel in inflammatory terms at a public event; several European countries called for her removal from the role, accusing her of extreme bias and fostering hatred. (the UN is biased against Israel?! Really??? Ha!)

Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija made history as the first Israeli named to an NBA All-Star Game, starting for Team World and earning praise from fellow players, with LeBron James calling his play “exceptional”. For more, click here.

Israeli-born producer Dana Eden, known for her award-winning work on the drama series Tehran, was found dead in her Athens hotel room while filming the show’s fourth season. Greek authorities are investigating.

News Update

The security cabinet has approved various measures that make it much easier for Jews to buy land in Judea and Samaria. The cabinet canceled a law banning land sales to foreigners and abolished the requirement for special transaction permits. Until now, Jews were prohibited from purchasing land directly and had to do so through locally registered companies. Under the new framework, most barriers to land purchases are removed, with transactions requiring only basic professional registration rather than approval from the Civil Administration. Jewish buyers will now also be able to look up owners in land-owning registries and approach them directly with purchase offers. The government summarized the measures as allowing Jews to “purchase land in Judea and Samaria just as they purchase in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.”

[Sounds fair. If an Arab wants to sell his property and a Jew wants to buy it, and they both agree to make the transaction, what could be wrong with that? Unless, of course, you believe that Jews should be discriminated against and be prohibited to by real estate??]

Also, planning and construction authority for the Jewish settlement in the city, including at the Cave of the Patriarchs, will be transferred from the Hebron municipality, which is under the Palestinian Authority, to Israeli authorities. Similar steps were approved for Rachel’s Tomb, located within Bethlehem’s municipal boundaries, including the establishment of a dedicated Israeli municipal administration for the site and an adjacent yeshiva.

The measures also authorize Israeli enforcement bodies to act against illegal Palestinian construction even in Area A, a move that until now had been largely restricted to Area B. The policy would allow demolitions and land expropriation in cases involving damage to archaeological or heritage sites.

In a rare joint statement, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan condemned what they described as “illegal Israeli decisions and steps aimed at imposing illegitimate Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlements and creating a new legal and administrative reality in the West Bank.” The EU also criticized the move. [So much for fairness and free economies.]

If you’re wondering why we haven’t been publishing IsraelAM regularly over the past month or so, the reason is simple: there just hasn’t been much to report. We think that’s a great thing and hope it continues. But rest assured, as things start to happen, we will continue to tell you about them in this newsletter, so please stay tuned and keep reading!

News Update

The IDF announced today that the body of the last hostage held in Gaza, Ran Gvili, had been identified and returned.  Staff Sergeant Gvili, 24, a member of the Yassam anti-terrorist police unit, fell in battle fighting Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023. His body was abducted to Gaza and eventually buried in a Moslem cemetery in northern Gaza, under a Moslem name. All hostages, living and dead, have now been returned to Israel.

Kicking off phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement, Israel is opening the Rafah Crossing to civilians. Egypt will run the crossing, a European Union mission will carry out inspections and identification, and Israel will oversee the process remotely through cameras and monitoring systems, without a physical presence on site. For more, click here. 

Now Hamas needs to be disarmed.

News Update

Just a quick checkin to show we’re still here — but not much news to report. Thousands have been killed in Iran as the people attempt to topple the evil regime, and still no military response from the U.S. despite President Trump’s warning to hit Iran very hard if it kills protestors. The world is watching how this plays out.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon and the IDF is reportedly planning an operation for March to expand Israeli control to parts of Gaza City and put the pressure on Hamas to relinquish control over Gaza so that phase 2 of the peace deal can finally proceed.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is indicating that he wants to wean Israel off of American military aid — almost all of which goes back into the U.S. economy for weapons purchases. Netanyahu wants Israel to be a partner with the U.S. instead of a recipient of aid, and wants to fit into the “America First” vision espoused by much of the republican party and the MAGA movement.

News Update

As mass protests and civil unrest continue in Iran, the Iranian government executed a man accused of spying for the Mossad and warned Israel not to interfere, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran sees this escalation in the enemy’s rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat, and we will not tolerate a situation in which it continues without a response.” Perhaps the Iranians are trying to rally their population against Israel to get their minds off their failing economy, but Israel seems like it would rather sit back and let the Iranian people take care of their own business. Israel reportedly told Russia to let Iran know that it wasn’t planning any attacks, at least for the time being.

Hamas today continued its search for the last Israeli hostage in the rubble of Gaza City, near the yellow line and IDF positions. His remains must be returned before Phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement can begin. Of course, Hamas also must disarm. How that’s going to happen remains an unknown.

A 14 year old Haredi boy, Yosef Eisental, was run over by a bus and killed during a large anti-draft Haredi protest in Jerusalem last night. A crowd of protestors surrounded the city bus and began shaking it, before the bus driver accelerated, hitting the boy and dragging him for some distance. The bus driver was arrested and is being held in detention while the incident is investigated. He was not charged with murder, based on the circumstances. For more, click here.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited Somaliland yesterday, in the country’s first official diplomatic, after Israel became the only country in the world to recognize the African state. The Israeli delegation discussed economic, diplomatic and military cooperation. There is speculation that Israel might use Somaliland’s Berbera Airport as a base, which would be conveniently located directly across the sea from Yemen.