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In-Depth Issues:
Iron Beam Laser Defense System Delivered to IDF - Dean Shmuel Elmas ( Globes)
On Dec. 28, Israel's Ministry of Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems delivered the first Iron Beam high energy laser defense system to the IDF.
Iron Beam represents a world-class technological and engineering breakthrough. The system has a range of up to 10 km. and has successfully intercepted rockets, mortars and drones.
The system is intended to complement Iron Dome, with both being operated from the same control vehicle.
While each Iron Dome interception costs $30,000, an interception by Iron Beam will cost only $5-10.
Israel's Iron Beam Laser's Low-Cost Interceptions Could Alter the Military Balance - Herb Keinon ( Jerusalem Post)
Israel's revolutionary Iron Beam laser air-defense platform could significantly alter the battlefield in Israel's favor.
Instead of firing expensive interceptor missiles, it uses a powerful, precisely aimed laser beam to destroy a target, often within seconds of launch and while it is still over enemy territory.
The only drawback is that its effectiveness is reduced in poor visibility, such as heavy cloud cover or bad weather.
A significant portion of the $4 billion the U.S. has allocated for missile defense since the Oct. 7 massacre was spent replenishing Tamir interceptors used in the Iron Dome system to intercept rockets and drones.
At the moment, Iron Beam is the only such system in the world, showing clearly how Israel can offer state-of-the-art solutions to problems the U.S. military is grappling with.
Moreover, with the proliferation of the use of drones and their deployment in swarms, the need for Iron Beam has never been greater.
For Germany, Finland, Romania, and Greece, Israel has become the go-to address for air defense systems that actually work.
Israel Agreed to U.S. "Pilot Project" for Gaza Reconstruction - Ariel Kahana ( Israel Hayom)
Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are pushing to move quickly on Gaza's reconstruction.
Officials briefed on Prime Minister Netanyahu's thinking told Israel Hayom that Israel agreed to their request to conduct a "pilot project" establishing a neighborhood of temporary caravan housing for Gazan residents in Tel Sultan, intended to demonstrate what life could look like outside the control of Hamas.
However, Netanyahu insists that full-scale reconstruction of Gaza will not begin until Hamas is dismantled, disarmed, and Gaza is demilitarized, as stipulated in the Trump plan.
The Child Brides of Iraq's Booming Wedding Industry - Shayma Bakht
( The Times-UK)
The betrothal of 12-year-old Amani was arranged, according to relatives, "without the need for her permission" because her marriage was approved by a local cleric.
In January, Iraq passed a law which allows citizens to choose sect-specific religious courts to oversee their marriage affairs, after years of lobbying from Shia political parties.
The state has introduced Ja'fari law, an 8th-century religious jurisprudence specifically for Shias, who are the religious majority in southern Iraq.
A judge can permit child marriage based on perceived "maturity and physical capacity." While Iraqi civil law sets the minimum age for marriage at 15, the Ja'fari teachings allow girls to be married from the age of 9.
In Baghdad, dozens of videographers, make-up artists and dress sellers reported a recent boost in the wedding industry due to a rise in child bride clients.
Nazareth Is in the Grip of the Mafia - Gabrielle Weiniger ( The Times-UK)
Jesus's hometown has become a mafia stronghold. The Bakri crime cartel is said to have taken over Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab-majority city, and its city hall.
In early December, police conducted raids that led to arrests and an investigation into extortion and money laundering.
For years, deadly incidents of gun violence have plagued the city and its suburbs. Other gangs have extorted businesses, murdered rivals and overrun authorities in the town, according to Israel's police commissioner of the north, Meir Eliyahu.
Joanne Rock Bitar, 38, runs a Christmas-themed shop in the center of the city. "I wouldn't let my daughters out at night," she said.
Bitar says she knows people who have been threatened by the mafia, but refuses to speak on the topic.
In almost every shop in the city, people speak in whispers on their doorsteps, in fear of the criminal gangs that control the streets. One resident said that anyone speaking ill of the Bakri family faces death.
The majority of Arab-Israelis, both Christian and Muslim, consider neighborhood crime and violence the greatest priority.
Over 64% said it was the most pressing concern in response to a survey by the Abraham Initiatives NGO, far ahead of the 19% who believed the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel was the top priority.
Oakland School District Admits It Created a "Discriminatory Environment" for Jews - Niva Ashkenazi ( Jewish News of Northern California)
The Oakland (Calif.) Unified School District has acknowledged that multiple instances of one-sided instruction on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and "numerous" displays of pro-Palestinian content in its schools over the past two years created a "discriminatory environment" for American and Israeli Jews, both students and staff.
A Dec. 12 report by the district said: "The numerous pro-Palestinian postings in District classrooms and school grounds, as well as the pro-Palestinian teaching that lacked multiple perspectives, communicating only a pro-Palestinian ideology, resulted in a discriminatory environment."
The incidents included flying a Palestinian flag at Fremont High School in Nov. 2023; an anti-Zionist "teach-in" in December 2023; a Montera Middle School teacher who displayed "divisive" posters outside of his classroom; maps of the Middle East excluding the State of Israel that were repeatedly distributed by the school district; and an Oakland High School assignment that falsely stated as a fact that Israel is "committing genocide in Gaza."
Israel Bonds Tops $2 Billion in Sales for Third Straight Year ( JNS)
Israel Bonds announced on Monday that it exceeded $2 billion in global sales in 2025 for the third year in a row, said Dani Naveh, president and CEO of Israel Bonds.
"Investing in Israel Bonds is both a financial decision and a meaningful way to stand with Israel and the Jewish people," he said. "We play an important part in Israel's economic resilience."
Sales rose sharply following the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and have "remained consistently elevated."
Since its founding more than seven decades ago, Israel Bonds has generated more than $55 billion in global investment.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Trump Threatens New Military Action with Israel Against Iran -
Alex Leary
President Trump sided firmly with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday after their meeting in Florida.
"I'm not concerned about anything that Israel is doing," Trump said during a joint news conference. Trump warned that Iran would face military strikes should it seek to replenish ballistic missiles or restart its nuclear program. "I hope they are not trying to build up again, because if they are, we're going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that build up."
Trump said he wants to advance the Gaza ceasefire deal "as quickly as we can," but placed the onus on Hamas, which he said has to relinquish its weapons or "there will be hell to pay." (Wall Street Journal)
See also Trump Says Israel Lived Up to First Stage of Gaza Ceasefire Requirements "100 Percent" (Jerusalem Post)
See also Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Hamas to Disarm - Filip Timotija
At their press conference following a Trump-Netanyahu meeting in Florida on Monday, Trump said Hamas would be given a "very short period of time" to disarm, warning the group would be "wiped out" if it refused to abide by its commitments in the second phase of the U.S.-brokered peace plan.
Trump also claimed that he and Netanyahu had reached an "understanding regarding Syria." Trump said Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, "is a very strong guy, and that's what you need in Syria. So I hope Israel, I'm sure that Israel and him will get along. I will try and make it so that they do get along. I think they will."
Netanyahu said, "Our interest is to have a peaceful border with Syria," adding that Israel wanted its Druze allies and other religious minority groups in Syria to be safe. (The Hill)
- Iran's Currency "Turns to Ash," Sparking Protests - Najmeh Bozorgmehr
Iran's currency has plunged to new lows as the country struggles with the economic aftershocks of the war with Israel, sparking protests from shopkeepers and piling pressure on the Islamic republic's leaders. The rial has lost 40% of its value since the 12-day war in June, hitting a record low of 1.45 million to the U.S. dollar. The currency's slide has accelerated as oil revenues have shrunk under sanctions from the U.S., while inflation reached 42% for the year.
Shopkeepers selling electronic goods shut their stores in central Tehran on Sunday in protest, with merchants in the capital's Grand Bazaar joining the strike on Monday. Videos on social media showed riot police using tear gas to disperse crowds. "They pay us in currency that turns to ash when you try to buy basic goods," said Sheyda, a pensioner. (Financial Times-UK)
See also Iran Central Bank Governor Resigns as Protests Erupt over Currency Drop (AP)
See also Mapping Protests in Iran - Mark Dubowitz (Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
See also Executions in Iran Doubled in 2025
Iran carried out at least 1,922 executions in 2025, more than twice the number recorded in 2024 and the highest figure documented in over a decade, according to a new report by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). At least 10 executions were carried out in public. (Iran International)
- U.S. at UN: Israel Has Right to Recognize Somaliland, Just as Countries Recognized "Palestine"
Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce told an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss Israel's recognition of Somaliland on Monday:
"Israel has the same right to conduct diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state. Earlier this year, several countries, including members of this Council, made the unilateral decision to recognize a nonexistent Palestinian state. And yet, no emergency meeting was called to express this Council's outrage. This Council's persistent double standards and misdirection of focus distract from its mission of maintaining international peace and security."
(U.S. Mission to the UN)
- Hizbullah Expands Drug Trafficking Operations in Venezuela - Adam Kredo
Hizbullah terrorists are flocking to Venezuela as Iran's most important proxy increasingly turns to drug trafficking as a way to raise revenue. Former Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing Marshall Billingslea told a Senate hearing in October that 400 Hizbullah field commanders received direction "to evacuate to Latin America, and Venezuela is specifically identified." They joined 11,000 other Hizbullah-tied operatives who landed in Venezuela between 2010 and 2019. The proceeds from these drug sales fund Hizbullah's global terror operation, while the Venezuelan regime takes a cut.
(Washington Free Beacon)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- IDF Racing to Destroy Gaza Tunnels before Diplomacy Halts It - Amir Bohbot
The IDF is in a "race against time" to locate and destroy tunnels between the Gaza border fence and the Yellow Line, before diplomacy brings operations to a halt, security sources told Walla on Monday. The army is fortifying existing outposts, improving defenses along the Yellow Line and the border fence, demolishing structures above ground, and, most intensively, locating and demolishing tunnels.
A security source said, "Military Intelligence did not fully understand how Hamas integrated the different types of tunnels in different areas as a foundation of its combat doctrine....We did not understand the size of the project and the importance Hamas attributed to the tunnels, and what is happening now is an attempt to close the gap, to locate these tunnels, and destroy a massive project of decades." (Jerusalem Post)
- Israel to Revoke Licenses from Aid Groups over Terror Links - Itamar Eichner
The Israeli government has begun to revoke operating licenses from international organizations working in the West Bank and Gaza after they failed to complete registration procedures required by law, following findings that some employees at the organizations were involved in terrorist activity. More than 10 international organizations, among them Doctors Without Borders, received letters stating that their licenses to operate in Israel will be revoked as of Jan. 1 and that they must wind down their activities by March 1.
These organizations were given 10 months to comply, and the original deadline was Sep. 9. Some groups refused to submit full lists of their Palestinian employees for security screening. Security checks found that employees of Doctors Without Borders were involved in terror activity.
Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said enforcement of the law will not affect the scope of humanitarian aid, noting that the organizations warned of closure have not delivered aid to Gaza during the current ceasefire. (Ynet News)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- Gaza Demilitarization Must Come Before Reconstruction - Pierre Rehov
The Palestinian Authority is not a neutral Muslim-majority entity seeking peace. In the last decade, it has learned to speak the language of Western guilt. Countries in the West continue to fund it lavishly and are climbing over one another to recognize a fictitious, nonexistent "Palestinian State."
The Palestinian Authority seeks managed instability: enough chaos to retain relevance, extract concessions, coax funding and insert itself as an unavoidable intermediary whenever crises erupt. Exporting this model into Gaza would be catastrophic. A culture built on incitement to violence, terrorism, and an ideological determination that Israel should not exist is fundamentally incompatible with long-term peace. The West has long ignored the ecosystem that has flourished in and around the Palestinian Authority: teaching hate and rewarding terror.
The Palestinian Authority does not recognize Israel and most likely has no intention whatsoever of dismantling Hamas. The idea of involving the PA - or any ideologically hostile Muslim power such as Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan or Iran - in Gaza's post-war stabilization is not merely naive or simplistic. It is structurally dangerous.
Any group that is unwilling or unable to dismantle Hamas - or its successor entities - does not neutralize the threat. It freezes it. Worse: it creates a protective buffer around it. Moreover, Israel would be expected to tolerate a hostile foreign security architecture on its border while remaining ultimately responsible for the consequences of its failure. Any future escalation - rocket fire, tunnel reconstruction, arms smuggling - would place Israel in an impossible position: to act militarily and be accused of attacking "the forces of peace" or refrain and absorb the threat.
Any framework that excludes the decisive dismantling of Hamas's military and ideological infrastructure merely prolongs the conflict and favors the most radical actors. A clear red line is required that reconstruction comes only after demilitarization. Stability is the outcome of security, not a substitute for it.
Legitimacy therefore cannot be granted to any actors whose strategic culture depends on permanent confrontation with Israel.
The writer is a French reporter, novelist and documentary filmmaker.
(Gatestone Institute)
- The Nova Music Festival Organizer Who Survived 738 Days in Hamas Captivity - Hagar Kochavi
Elkana Bohbot was one of the organizers of the Nova music festival, a project that he worked on for six months with his partners and childhood friends, Osher and Michael Vaknin. On Oct. 7, his two friends were murdered and he was abducted to Gaza, where he remained for 738 days.
As the rocket fire began that morning, Bohbot understood he had to shut down the dance floor at Nova. His calls for partygoers to disperse were documented on video. "Suddenly, about 70 terrorists arrived. They moved through with weapons, smashed car windows, and carried out executions," he said.
Speaking of his time in Gaza, he said, "In the last six months the situation was the hardest. They starved us, and we reached extreme states. They harassed us constantly....They wanted to hurt us as much as possible, and they succeeded. It really was as bad as it could be. All this while bombs were falling near us, just meters away. You're sure the next missile will hit you. The tunnel shakes and you're certain you'll be buried there." (Ynet News)
- Egyptian Journalist: The Gaza Public Understands that Hamas Is Responsible for Its Disaster
Egyptian journalist Ahmad Abd Al-Wahhab, deputy editor of the Egyptian government daily Akhbar Al-Yawm, wrote on Nov. 27:
"Israel's siege of Gaza has driven Hamas into a severe financial crisis, following the targeting of numerous sites that had been sources of revenue for the movement. This may explain Hamas's involvement in seizing the humanitarian aid meant for the civilian population and reselling it at exorbitant prices, which has deepened the crisis."
"Hamas, which is supposed to fulfill its natural role of providing for the residents of Gaza and easing the burden of their living conditions, has become a heavy burden on the entire Strip....Even more serious is the fact that it has stationed its operatives near ATMs and taken control of 30-40% of the salaries of civil servants and [other] citizens. This use of the crisis to turn the citizens' sources of income - which are already insufficient given the tragic situation in the Strip - into its own sources of income...reveals the true face of the resistance, which prioritizes its own interests over the lives of the citizens in Gaza."
"The crisis in Gaza is not only financial; it is [also] a crisis of trust between a society on the verge of collapse and a ruling authority that strives to preserve its own existence, even if it must sacrifice the citizens to do so. These irresponsible actions [by Hamas] create mistrust and widen the gap between the people of Gaza and the Hamas leadership, whose public support is eroding day by day." (MEMRI)
- Who Are the Legitimate Palestinian Leaders? - Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch
On January 25, 2006, almost 20 years ago, the Palestinian Authority (PA) held its last elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), which functions as the Palestinian parliament. The result was a landslide victory for Hamas - the genocidal terrorist organization that executed the October 7, 2023, massacre - which won 74 seats in the 132-member PLC.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas invited Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to form the PA government, which he did on March 29, 2006. However, the U.S. and EU refused to cooperate with and to continue funding the elected PA government. In early 2007, Abbas deposed the Haniyeh government. Rejecting Abbas's illegal coup, Hamas seized Gaza in the summer of 2007, with some Fatah representatives in Gaza killed by Hamas.
If one were to apply Western democratic values and give the PA elections their legitimate recognition, the inevitable conclusion is that Hamas is the legitimate leader of the PA. The Palestinians still despise Abbas and his corrupt Fatah party and, if given the choice, they would again elect Hamas.
The writer, former director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria, is director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Center.
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
Israeli Security
- Israel Can't Again Find Itself Unable to Buy What It Needs - Brig.-Gen. (res.) Jacob Nagel interviewed by Yaakov Lappin
Israel has committed to a $110 billion investment over the next decade to boost independence in critical arms production. The announcement aligns directly with the report of the Nagel Committee for Examining the Defense Budget, headed by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Prof. Jacob Nagel, former head of Israel's National Security Council, published on Dec. 31, 2024.
Nagel told JNS on Monday that Israel "cannot allow itself to repeatedly end up in a situation where it cannot buy what it needs, whether it's not sold, or simply because there is no one to buy from due to large global demand." Israel will continue to depend on the U.S. for the procurement of platforms like fighter jets, though not for armored vehicles or unmanned aerial vehicles.
This push for self-sufficiency was accelerated by arms embargoes, full and partial, faced by Israel during the Gaza war, where allies such as the UK, Canada, and even the U.S., under the Biden administration at times, delayed or reviewed shipments of essential munitions, including air-to-ground bombs and D9 armored bulldozers.
In January 2025, Israel's Defense Ministry signed two landmark deals with Elbit Systems to establish a domestic factory for heavy air munitions and a national raw materials plant. (JNS)
Somaliland
- Will the U.S. Be Next to Recognize Somaliland? - Michael Rubin
On Dec. 26, Israel became the first country in the world to officially recognize Somaliland. Somali nationalists claim that recognition is an assault on Somali unity, but that unity never existed. In 1960, Somaliland won its independence from Britain. Five days later, Somaliland's government chose to unify with the former Italian colony of Somalia. The former British protectorate split from Somalia in 1991.
Somalia first repressed and then attempted outright genocide of the Isaaq clan predominant in the former British Somaliland, killing up to 200,000 Isaaq clan members and leveling 80% of Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital. To demand that Isaaqs live under Somalia rule would be akin to demanding that Rwandan Tutsis subordinate themselves to the Hutu who committed the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Unlike many other would-be secessionist states like the Kurds in Iraq or Biafrans in Nigeria, Somaliland's borders were set by treaty under the British protectorate. The international community dumped billions of dollars of aid into Somalia, but Somaliland received next to none and had to raise its own budget. As a result, Somaliland built capacity and a tax base. It is home to multibillion-dollar communications and mobile money companies, one of the continent's largest Coca Cola bottling plants, hotels, resorts, and transportation companies.
The U.S. is actively debating recognition. The Pentagon and many in Congress favor it. The port of Berbera has one of the longest airstrips in Africa; it used to be an emergency landing strip for the U.S. space shuttle program. Several years ago, the UAE renovated and upgraded it. The U.S. could use Berbera as an alternative to an increasingly crowded Djibouti and interference from the Chinese base there.
What Israel has realized is that unity in the case of Somalia and Somaliland is neither realistic nor moral. They have gone separate ways since 1991, with Somaliland moving in positive directions that should be rewarded with recognition and engagement.
The writer, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, is a frequent visitor to Somaliland. (Jerusalem Strategic Tribune)
See also Somaliland Parliament Unanimously Endorses Israel's Recognition of Its Sovereignty (Somaliland Standard)
- Behind the Scenes of Israel's Recognition of Somaliland - Itamar Eichner
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Israel's recognition of Somaliland in October after Somaliland's President Abdirahman Abdullahi paid a secret visit to Israel in the summer. Somaliland asked for time to prepare, citing the need to brace for potential hostile moves by the Houthis in Yemen, to the north.
A senior Israeli political source explained the rationale behind the recognition: "Look at their strategic location and you'll understand everything." While there was widespread Arab condemnation of the move,
this did not include the UAE which has been developing ties with Somaliland. The UAE operates a military base in the port city of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden coast, 250 km. south of Yemen, where a deep-water port is under construction. (Ynet News)
Antisemitism
- Antisemitism Is Infecting Human Rights Groups - My Charity Had to Act - Sigrid Rausing
I founded the Sigrid Rausing Trust nearly 30 years ago, working on human rights issues. Following Charity Commission guidance, we have strong clauses in our grant contract requiring grantees to abstain from incendiary language that may promote violence.
After the Oct. 7 atrocities, a check of our grantees' websites and social media accounts found that five (out of 400) had posted disturbing material: a group working on social and economic rights in Tunisia expressed "pride" in the Hamas action. Another called for "support for the guerrilla Palestinian people in their war against the Zionist entity." A media group in Lebanon described the Hamas action as "resistance," referred to the murdered civilians as "settlers," and dismissed Israeli information about Hamas atrocities as "lies." A group in Canada almost immediately termed Israel's actions "genocidal."
Atrocities against civilians are obviously contrary to human rights and international humanitarian law, and we cancelled our contracts with the groups in question. It wasn't a hard decision to make. Sympathy with a cause (or a people) can never justify violence against civilians. Terrorism is always wrong. (The Times-UK)
Observations:
- Despite hopeful U.S. statements and sentiments, the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza will not act to disarm Hamas by force or dismantle its tunnel system - nor would Hamas do so on its own. This leaves Israel with four alternatives for the period ahead:
- (1) Perpetuating the current status quo, with Hamas controlling roughly half the territory and most of the population. However, this means accepting Hamas's rule over most of Gaza's population and its ability to still pose a threat.
- (2) Israel may decide to go on the offensive early, no longer hampered by the hostage issue, with the goal of destroying Hamas and taking over all remaining territory in Gaza, if President Trump can be persuaded that there is no other course.
- (3) Tightening the blockade of areas still under the control of terrorist groups, combined with significant U.S. and international investment in the "New Gaza" being rebuilt east of the Yellow Line. This should, theoretically, draw the population away from Hamas-held territories.
- (4) A modular design, where the IDF would gradually push Hamas back slice by slice, over time and with a limited and focused use of force - and then progressively hand over these areas to the ISF and the Gaza transitional authority.
The primary advantage for Israel would be a low rate of attrition and losses, and the preservation of legitimacy, while still pursuing the ultimate destruction of Hamas.
The writer, deputy director of JISS, held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for over 20 years and was deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at Israel's National Security Council.
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