
Rubio came to Israel to save Netanyahu. But what does Trump get out of it?
February 16, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu fears Trump's wrath, but he is also panicking for his political survival. That's why after every intervention the Trump team makes to save the hostages in Gaza, it needs to make a second one to rescue Netanyahu

After Hezbollah drone hit, Netanyahu's home gets $500,000 window upgrade without tender
February 16, 2025
The Netanyahu's private home received a 1.87 million shekel upgrade after a window was damaged by a Hezbollah drone in October. The renovation, paid for by the state, included 40 decorative saplings

Israel's diaspora minister tells American-Jewish leaders he'll vote against future hostage releases
February 16, 2025
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said he could not 'vote in favor of the next terror victims' as the opening speaker of the annual gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. He refused to take follow-up questions

October 7 wasn't the first time Zionism failed murdered hostage Shlomo Mantzur
February 16, 2025
The Iraqi-born hostage was sacrificed on the altar of Zionism twice – first in Iraq, and then again on the Gaza border

Israel prepares for nationwide protests for hostage deal, marking 500 days of Gaza captivity
February 16, 2025
The families of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza call on the Israeli public to join them on Monday to demand the Netanyahu government secures a deal with Hamas and brings the remaining hostages back to Israel ■ These are the planned events marking the war's 500th day

Israeli settlers attack Palestinians and IDF soldiers in West Bank twice over the weekend
February 16, 2025
Approximately 15 settlers defaced two houses in a village in the central West Bank, setting one on fire. In a village next to Bethlehem, dozens of settlers attacked locals and set dogs on IDF forces. No arrests were made
Israeli Arab comedian's stand-up show about October 7 canceled
February 16, 2025
Right-wing groups threatened to disrupt the Haifa show, leading police to pronounce the performance a danger to public safety

IDF reportedly used elderly Gazan as human shield, tied explosive around his neck
February 16, 2025
According to a report by Israeli outlet 'the Hottest Place in Hell,' the elderly man was forced to search for booby traps while an IED command-wire was tied to his neck. Later, as he was forced to evacuate south with his wife, another battalion shot them to death

Suspect in fatal stabbing in Austria had an 'Islamic terror motive,' officials say
February 16, 2025
The attacker is believed to be a lone perpetrator, according to police. Hebert Kickl, whose far-right party won Austria's elections in September, said he is angry with politicians who have allowed 'stabbings, rapes, gang wars' to become routine

Sabra-cadabra: Marvel makes Israeli superhero disappear in 'Captain America'
February 16, 2025
Pro-Palestinian protesters can relax: The Israeli superhero Sabra does not show up in 'Captain America: Brave New World.' Let's just hope Israeli actor Shira Haas was well compensated for her work in this tedious movie

Netanyahu: 'The gates of hell' will 'surely' open if all hostages aren't released
February 16, 2025
Following a meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu in Jerusalem, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said Hamas must be 'eliminated,' adding that Trump's Gaza proposal is 'bold'

'This is war': The Israeli leading Microsoft's global cyberdefense warns about Iran, AI and cyberinfluence
February 16, 2025
In a rare interview, Microsoft's Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk reveals how the war in Gaza and Iran's digital rise are reshaping global security, and how AI is making hacking more accessible – and dangerous – than ever
Arab states must find an alternative to Trump's plan if they wish to prevent Gazans' expulsion
February 16, 2025
The UAE's U.S. ambassador said there's no alternative to Trump's plan, supposedly showing support for the mass displacement of Palestinians. But the Emirati stance actually emphasized the urgency in which the Arab states must draw up a rival proposal

'This book will haunt us': The first English language opera about Herzl takes on his life and legacy
February 16, 2025
'State of the Jews,' a new opera by composer Alex Weiser and librettist Ben Kaplan, explores the profound dissonance at the center of Theodor Herzl's character along with his tragic family life. 'Herzl's story is unfinished history – it's still unfolding,' says Weiser

'Keith waited for us. Day after day, hour after hour, for 484 days. He was totally alone'
February 16, 2025
The nephew of released hostage Keith Siegel, Asaf Feldman, said statements of Israeli MKs opposing the deal 'really brought him down', and that it was the protests for the hostages that encouraged him. 'We know now it had reached him,' Feldman said

Israel's finance minister says he hopes plan to relocate Gazans could begin 'within weeks'
February 16, 2025
Asked about Trump's proposal, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed that most Gazans would want to relocate, adding that they 'have nothing to seek' there over the next 10-15 years

'A dangerous message': Hostage family members beg Conference of Presidents to cancel invite to Israeli Diaspora Minister
February 16, 2025
Hundreds of American Jews and Israelis – among them families of hostages and victims of October 7 – say in their letter that far-right minister had opposed the release of their loved ones. Despite the outcry, the organization said it 'looks forward' to hearing from Chikli

Israeli team to join cease-fire talks in Cairo Monday, security cabinet to discuss deal's Stage 2
February 16, 2025
ISRAEL: Security cabinet to convene on Monday to discuss Stage 2 of Gaza cease-fire ■ GAZA CEASE-FIRE/HOSTAGE TALKS: U.S. Mideast envoy Witkoff says Israel and Hamas to continue talks on cease-fire this week ■ LEBANON: Twenty ultra-Orthodox men crossed border into Lebanon, some were arrested

Trump's ultimatum fizzled out, but Netanyahu could still block Gaza deal's second stage
February 16, 2025
Besides facing an imminent decision regarding Gaza – continuing with the deal, resuming the war or extending the first stage of the present deal – Israel is also arriving at a critical turning point in Lebanon, with the temporary cease-fire set to end on Tuesday

These activists cried together over the release of a hostage they've never met
February 15, 2025
The dozens who gathered in Kfar Sava to watch Iair Horn's release met during protests for the Horn brothers' release. Ever since, they have been living embodiments of solidarity, demonstrating every week and taking turns cooking food for his mother. 'It's a moment of victory,...

Israel works to speed up first-stage hostage release amid Hamas crisis, Trump threats
February 15, 2025
Despite Saturday's release going as planned – and even though Israel backtracked on its demand to free all the hostages by then – Israeli talking points still aren't sending a 'business as usual' message: implicit threats to resume the war continue to mount

Study: Amount of food entering Gaza met international aid standards for at least six months in 2024
February 15, 2025
Israeli researchers found that the food entering Gaza provided an average of 3,000 calories per person per day. In February 2024, during the fierce fighting in Gaza and attempts by Israeli activists to block aid trucks from entering Gaza, only 1,508 calories per person per day was delivered

Trump and Netanyahu have devised the crime of the century
February 15, 2025
Israel's war aimed to make Gaza uninhabitable and find a place for evacuees, as many in the government and military have stated

Egypt reportedly applying 'heavy pressure' to prevent Hamas from controlling Gaza reconstruction
February 15, 2025
Egyptian media reports suggest Hamas has agreed not to have a representative on the Gaza reconstruction committee. Officials told Haaretz the timing is meant to offer an alternative to Trump's expulsion plan and push Israel forward in negotiations

Rubio visits Israel, will discuss advancing second stage of Gaza deal with Netanyahu
February 15, 2025
Rubio's trip will focus on securing hostages' release, advancing the second stage of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, and countering Iran, the State Department said. Unlike typical visits, he will not visit Ramallah or meet with Palestinian Authority officials

Interrogations, isolation, undrinkable water: Israeli hostages describe torture in Hamas captivity
February 15, 2025
While Alexander Troufanov was held alone, Sagui Dekel Chen and Yair Horn were kept in Hamas tunnels with three other hostages still there. They were held in Khan Yunis, close to their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Troufanov only learned of his father Vitaly's murder on October 7th upon release
Israel's Shin Bet is examining connection between Netanyahu's top aides and Qatar
February 15, 2025
Amid revelations about Netanyahu's advisers' business ties with Qatar – including a campaign to improve its image ahead of the World Cup – and reports on his spokesman connections to Doha, Shin Bet announced a review of classified information security in the prime minister's office
'Our prayers have been answered': After 498 days in Gaza, Israeli hostages reunite with families
February 15, 2025
Sagui Dekel Chen's father addressed President Trump: 'You have given us the best gift anyone possibly could' ■ Iair Horn's mother said he met his brother, current hostage Eitan, in Gaza: 'He does not speak much, but eventually he will start talking' ■ 'We are...

Freed hostage Ohad Ben Ami urges Israelis to protest, saying it strengthens those still in Hamas captivity
February 15, 2025
Thousands of protesters demand Netanyahu's government to fully implement the hostage deal. Hostages' families accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the deal's Stage 2 and urged President Trump not to let the Israeli PM 'exploit' him

Dozens of Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in the West Bank; six wounded, no arrests
February 15, 2025
The attack took place in an area known as 'The Accords Reserve,' designated under Area B where Israeli settlement is prohibited by the Oslo Accords. As of Friday evening, four Palestinians remain hospitalized, including a pregnant woman

The hostage deal survived another week, but its future relies on Trump
February 15, 2025
As Netanyahu bows to pressure from extremists to resume the war, Trump must decide whether he risks becoming the president who oversaw the collapse of existing peace agreements between Israel, Egypt and Jordan

Israeli army operations drive 30,000 Palestinians from West Bank refugee camps
February 15, 2025
While the IDF says that the army allows residents who wish to leave to do so safely, eyewitness accounts indicate that the Israeli army is intentionally causing a mass exodus and prolonged displacement – unlike in past operations

Israel releases 369 Palestinian prisoners as part of Hamas hostage deal; most detained during Gaza war
February 15, 2025
Thirty-six of the prisoners released on Saturday were serving life sentences, and of them, 24 will be deported to a third country. Among the released prisoners is the former head of Fatah's military wing in Ramallah, Ahmed Barghouti

Freed hostages Alexander Troufanov, Iair Horn and Sagui Dekel Chen return to Israel after 498 days of Gaza captivity
February 15, 2025
Hostage Iair Horn was made to hold up an hourglass with writing under it that read, 'Time is running out,' featuring images of hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother Einav, a prominent activist, as he was handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas militants
Israeli scholar Hani Zubida has a question for Mizrahim: 'When will you realize you're Arabs?'
February 15, 2025
Scholar and social activist Hani Zubida refuses to accept stereotypes of Mizrahim and enjoys playing with the dual identity his name suggests while seeking to promote a new Israeli ethnic discourse

Netanyahu, security chiefs discuss Israel-Hamas hostage deal, second-stage talks
February 15, 2025
■ GAZA: Released hostages Alexander Troufanov, Iair Horn and Sagui Dekel Chen are back in Israel ■ ISRAEL: Shin Bet is examining connection between Netanyahu's top aides and Qatar ■ LEBANON: Two killed three injured in IDF strike in south, Lebanese media says ■ WEST BANK: Six Palestinians...
Nine days before German election, U.S. Vice President JD Vance meets far-right leader
February 14, 2025
Vance met with co-leader anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party after lecturing European leaders about the state of democracy

The rift between Trump and his allies in Egypt and Jordan is playing in Hamas' favor
February 14, 2025
Israel and the U.S. see Gaza as a tactical problem that will disappear with Hamas's destruction – or through the mass expulsion of its residents to make way for a Riviera. Arab states, however, view eliminating Hamas as little more than a fantasy

Replacing the irreplaceable: Judaica drive 'restores some joy' for families hit by Los Angeles fires
February 14, 2025
To help the more than 500 Jewish families who lost their homes in California's wildfires, a group of women launched Rebuilding Judaica, hoping to replace precious Jewish objects, many of them passed in families for generations. 'It just makes you feel like you can start to move...

Parents of soldier killed in Lebanon while guarding civilian meet with Israeli army chief
February 14, 2025
Ron and Maayan Kehati, whose son Gur was killed in November, met with Herzl Halevi at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, where the latter took responsibility for the fatal incident

Netanyahu plans to attack Iran and is plotting to lure Trump into the war
February 14, 2025
By attacking Iran, with or without the United States, Israel's prime minister seeks to turn the October 7 calamity into an epic strategic triumph. Will the Saudis help Trump avert this?

Tamir Yadai chosen as Israeli army's next deputy chief of staff
February 14, 2025
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Yadai, a former Ground Forces Command and Central Command chief, will serve as Eyal Zamir's deputy

'I don't know how I go on, but I try to be strong for him'
February 14, 2025
Rom Braslavski worked as a guard at the Nova music festival – eyewitnesses say he could have saved himself, but stayed to help others. His family hasn't received signs of life of the 21-year-old from former hostages

These are the three Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity on Saturday
February 14, 2025
Sagui Dekel Chen, Iair Horn and Alexander 'Sasha' Troufanov, all Nir Oz residents, have been announced as the hostages to be released in the next weekly phase of the cease-fire deal

New IDF chief needs to stop Israel's army from becoming 'God's Revenge Forces'
February 14, 2025
As one battalion commander says about the Gaza war, 'If a child or an old man enters a forbidden area and isn't directly endangering you, morally you're not allowed to shoot them. Here the IDF needs a very large correction'

Israeli ministers set to back bill blocking courts from hearing cases involving foreign-funded NGOs
February 14, 2025
The bill would also impose an 80-percent tax on donations from foreign state entities, with one NGO official saying the criteria are designed to target government critics

With crucial evidence missing, Sara Netanyahu's investigation 'could end in nothing'
February 14, 2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is elated after a successful Washington visit. As he admires Trump's consolidation of power, he can also be glad that the investigation into his wife Sara on suspicion of harassing a witness is stalled over a missing phone
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