War
IDF tanks Gaza
Israel is still at war on seven fronts, Gaza, Lebanon, West Bank, Iran, Syria, Yemen and the war for public opinion. As of September 25,2025 Israel has lost 912 soldiers since the fighting began in Gaza.
New York Times columnist Roger Cohen recently visited Gaza. “With the assault on Gaza City, Israel’s prime minister has piled defiance on defiance, as any check from the Trump administration falls away.”
Cohen referred to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech this week in which he admitted to Israel’s growing world wide isolation. Netanyahu stressed Israel had to become self-sufficient. Become a “super-Sparta.”
Cohen wrote Netanyahu thought, “Israel should become a ‘super Sparta’ apparently meaning that the ancient Greek city-state that rose through discipline to become a great military power should inspire the country.” Speaking was speaking at an economic conference hosted by the Finance Ministry, Netanyahu said Israel might have to confront “isolation” through “autarky,” or economic self-sufficiency.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu’s ‘super-Sparta’ reference was widely condemned in Israel. The Tel Aviv stock market responded with a sharp decline.
“He’s lost it,” Itamar Rabinovich, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States, said. “There are no more red lines.”
But, according to Cohen, writing in the New York Times, Netanyahu seems to be relying on President Trump to bail him out. Cohen says Trump’s statements on the war are unpredictable and marked by impatience, but always rooted in unswerving support for Israel.” Cohen says that “…this gives Mr. Netanyahu much room for maneuver.”
Cohen writes that two months ago, Mr. Netanyahu seemed to be seriously contemplating a possible deal with Hamas that would have seen 10 living Israeli hostages released in exchange for a large number of Palestinian prisoners and a 60-day cease-fire during which an end to the war would have been negotiated.
Then he went to Washington, met Mr. Trump, changed his mind, and began planning the assault on Gaza City with its accompanying prolongation of the war and intensification of Palestinian agony in Gaza.
According to Cohen, “He has clearly staked his all on forging a triumphant legacy that will outweigh his responsibility, on Oct. 7, 2023, for the greatest defeat in Israel’s history.
“His chosen course has proved to be long and divisive, punctuated by Israeli military ascendancy in the region, but devastating to the Palestinian people and lacerating to his own country.
“The end of the war holds many dangers for Mr. Netanyahu. They include the breakup of his coalition as rightist ministers object; a commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 debacle; a full accounting of Israel’s actions during the war; and an end to protection from his own legal travails.
According to Avi Issacharov, writing in Ynetnews, the government that forced the army to use the Gideon II chariots (and will probably also force the third and fourth), is relying on our short memory and our hope that, here, one more action and it will be over. But the reality is different.
“This is probably one of the few cases in history where the IDF embarks on a large-scale ground operation, with many thousands of our soldiers inside enemy territory, when most of the public and most of the army’s top brass understand that it will not lead to a change in the face of the campaign. Even conquering Gaza City for the second time will not cause Hamas to wave a white flag, and certainly will not lead to the organization’s defeat.”
According to Ynetnews, only 31% of American Jews polled support Israel’s Gaza campaign. This covers Orthodox, Conservative and Reform streams. 58% opposed the war.
On a positive note, Rafael industries announced that the Iron Beam laser canon defense weapon will be deployed for active use within two months. This weapon cost a tiny fraction of the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars the current anti-missile systems now use.
Gaza
Israeli Soldiers In Gaza
According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF has encircled Gaza City as part of the strategy of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II.
The IDF has been fighting in Gaza for 720 days. So far 912 soldiers and security personal have been killed. This after the Hamas terrorist organization invaded Israel on Oct 7,2023, massacring 1200 people, wounding thousands and taking 251 people hostages, most were Israelis but some were foreign workers mostly from Thailand.
420 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Operation Gideon’s Chariot in March.
Ynetnews, quoting the IDF spokesman’s office, reported that IDF forces have begun entering Gaza City as part of the “Gideon’s Chariots II” operation.
The spokesman’s office also said that in recent days dozens of terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip were attacked to isolate the combat area and enable the entry of maneuvering forces into the territory..
Up until now mostly tanks, and special forces, have been operating in Gaza. The air force and artillery have been taking down hi-rise buildings. The IDF says that these buildings were used as observation posts reporting on the movement of Israeli troops.
Also, that the buildings were used to house Hamas leaders and operatives.
Meanwhile, the IDF claims that nearly 700,000 Gazans have left their homes in Gaza City moving farther south in Gaza closer to the Egyptian border.
According to Ynetnews, some Gazans fear that Israel is purposefully destroying most of the buildings in Gaza City to prevent Gazans from ever returning home.
According to Ohad Hemo, Arab Affairs correspondent for Channel 12TV, Hamas has simple soldiers and officers among those fleeing Gaza City. Also, Hamas has threatened the lives of Gazans who want to leave preferring to use them as human shields.
According to Ynetnews, the United States has presented a 21-point initiative to end the Gaza war. This proposal was presented at a meeting between US President Trump and Arab leaders in Washington.
At the meeting President Trump promised not to allow Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to annex Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). The initiative also included the release of all the 48 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, a permanent ceasefire, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal of troops.
Ynetnews reported that Israel has not seen the plan’s details because the document was not published in full but is expected to be presented soon.
According to the reports, the initiative not only calls for the release of all hostages, a permanent cease-fire, an end to the war, but also the establishment of a civilian governance mechanism involving moderate Arab states and the Palestinian Authority.
Saudi media also reported that the plan “includes a phased Israeli withdrawal and the delivery of aid through international institutions.”
The initiative also calls for financial aid and troops from Arab countries. Indonesia has said it would send 20,000 troops to Gaza to help keep the peace.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (left) US President Trump (right)
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said, “I am hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough.”
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Amir of Qatar
However, at the UN on Tuesday Sept 23rd, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said in his address to the UN General Assembly that Israel had chosen war over the return of its remaining 48 hostages, and that its “treacherous” September 9 attack on the Hamas leadership in Doha was an attempt to derail the Qatari-mediated Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks.
In his address al-Thani accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees the Gaza war as “an opportunity to expand settlements.”
However, Isael’s Channel 12TV reported on Thursday Sept 25th that Israel considered Qatar a key to the Hamas negotiations.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the leaders of Jordan and Turkey also condemned Israel over its conduct in Gaza, with Jordan’s King Abdullah devoting almost his entire address to a denunciation of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which he said was not a partner for peace and whose “Greater Israel” calls threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Israel’s neighbors.
According to Ynetnews, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he was ready to work with U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Nations to implement a Gaza peace plan adopted at a September 22 conference, which he said could pave the way for a just peace and broader regional cooperation.
He denounced Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank and condemned Hamas’ Oct 7th invasion of Israel. Abbas also called upon Hamas to turn in their weapons. Abbas made the remarks in a pre-recorded speech to the UN General Assembly.
Meanwhile, Israel’s PM Netanyahu left Israel on Wednesday night September 24th to address the UN General Assembly on Friday September 26th at 09:00, and to hold meetings, for the fourth time, with US President Trump in Washington to discuss the Gaza war.
Ynetnews reported that before Prime Minister Netanyahu departed for New York about 150 protesters demonstrated at the exit hall of Ben-Gurion Airport. They were not allowed into the departures area. Protesters carried signs reading, among other slogans, “Let the year end with its curses” and chanted “You are to blame.” They also called for the immediate release of the hostages and for a deal now, shouting “We will not abandon them.”
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hadath reported Wednesday evening that according to a diplomatic source, “Trump’s plan guarantees that the Gaza Strip will not be occupied. The handover of the hostages and the end of Hamas’ role are the most important lines of the plan. Trump confirmed that the war in Gaza would stop within days.”
According to the Times of Israel, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has also presented a dense and detailed proposal for ending the Gaza war and replacing Hamas. The Times of Israel says the Blair proposal has the blessing of the USA.
Jered Kushner (left) Tony Blair (right) At Peace and Prosperity Conference
The former British PM has been rallying international stakeholders to form a transitional authority to govern the Strip before it gets handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
While the PA has expressed its desire to directly oversee the postwar governing body in Gaza and Blair’s plan falls short of that goal, the source familiar with the discussions said Ramallah has “engaged constructively.”
Blair’s proposal envisions the PA undergoing significant reforms and limits Ramallah’s involvement in GITA, (Gaza International Transitional Authority) largely to matters of coordination. Still, the PA is explicitly mentioned throughout the plan, and says that eventually all the Palestinian territory would be unified under the Palestinian Authority. But only if the PA shows reforms.
The reforms that the Blair plan expects of the PA “are not cosmetic,” and that part of the reason there’s not a set timeline for GITA to hand over authority of Gaza to the PA is that the process is “performance-based.”
The Blair Proposal envisions that GITA along with a series of subordinate structures will be formed to replace Hamas in Gaza. The plan also envisions the creation of an Executive Protection Unit “staffed by elite personnel from Arab and international contributors” to protect the GITA leadership.
According to the Times of Israel, quoting a source involved in the discussions, “The way to end the war is to get regional stakeholders to agree on principles for how Gaza will be governed afterward in a manner that Hamas is not involved and not armed and unable to regain power,” the source said.
“This can only happen if there is a new governing structure in Gaza with a serious security force from the international community. This cannot be the PA in the beginning. The PA will be a partner. They’ll be consulted and coordinated with, but they won’t be the ones managing Gaza on day one. This will happen later on after they reform,” the source added.
Blair’s plan would have an Executive Secretariat. A group of five commissioners who will supervise key areas of Gaza governance: humanitarian affairs, reconstruction, legislation and legal affairs, security, and PA coordination. Both a police force and a security force will also be established.
But, while the Blair Proposal maintained that “Gaza is for Gazans,” other plans proposed by Israel have also surfaced, according to the Times of Israel.
These Israeli plans envision the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). And the plans promote the idea of facilitating or encouraging the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from Gaza.
This “voluntary migration” was first raised by US President Trump in February when he announced his plan to take over Gaza and permanently relocate the Strip’s entire population. Trump has since distanced himself from this idea.
However, on Wednesday September 17th, Israel’s ultra-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch, who represents the settler movement, said that the Gaza Strip is a potential real estate “bonanza” and that he was in talks with Washington on how to carve up the coastal enclave after the war.
According to the Times of Israel, while Blair’s isn’t the only plan for the postwar management of Gaza, until a new US plan is presented, Blair’s proposal was the lone proposal that has secured US backing.
Still, the source involved in the discussions acknowledged that it can’t be considered a US plan until Trump publicly says so.
Meanwhile, Ynetnews reported on Thursday Sept 25th that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to appoint former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to head the temporary governance mechanism in the Gaza Strip for “the day after” the war. Blair has long been working behind the scenes and is involved with Trump’s special envoy Steve Whitcoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in developing ideas for Gaza’s reconstruction.
The problem, according to the Times of Israel, is that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has always been against the Palestinian Authority having any part of running Gaza after the war.
Also, there are Israelis who had once lived in the Gaza Strip enclave and yearn to go back. A report in NPR (National Public Radio) by veteran reporter Itay Stern recalled the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from Gaza under then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Stern reported that Prime Minister Sharon’s adviser, attorney Dov Wineglass, said that “Sharon never concealed his opinion on the matter. He believed that the only solution to the problem was a separation of Israel and the Palestinians…in the long term Israel’s national interests would not be in Gaza… and the loss of every settler and soldier would be a waste.”
An observer wondered if Minister Smotritch and his followers ever knew that Sharon, who was himself right-wing, was against settlers in Gaza.
North
Hezbollah Weapons Depot Destroyed
Israel continues to strike at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
On Sunday Sept 21st, Ynetnews reported that Lebanon’s Ministry of Health announced that five people were killed and two were injured in an Israeli drone strike against a motorcycle in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon. According to the ministry’s statement, three children were among those killed. The IDF said it was investigating the incident.
According to Ynetnews, Israel said on Thursday September 18th that it had launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to prevent the terror group from rebuilding in the area.
Before the strikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings for four sites in southern Lebanon, before later calling to clear the vicinity surrounding two additional buildings.
In the evacuation order, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said that the strikes had been ordered in response to Hezbollah’s “prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area.”
Israel is also reportedly on the verge of a security deal with Syria.
According to Channel i24TV news, a new report from Independent Arabia alleges Syria and Israel are close to a “historic” security deal, with talks described as in their final stage and more than 95% of terms agreed. The outlet cites unnamed high-level diplomatic sources.
The article claims that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sheibani is slated to meet Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in London, alongside the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Washington’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack.
Meanwhile, according to the Jerusalem Post, Turkey is also making deals with Syria. The Post reports that Turkey is “rapidly expanding its influence in post-conflict Syria, cementing influence through security and transport deals.
And, according to Ynetnews, on September 24th, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa delivered a historic speech to the U.N. General Assembly, the first Syrian president to address the assembly since 1967.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa At UN General Assembly
In his speech al-Sharaa accused Israel of continuing strikes against his country and said Israeli policy runs counter to international support for Syria.
Al-Sharaa claimed Israel is trying to exploit the transitional period since Assad’s fall. “Syria is committed to dialogue, and we call on the international community to stand with us in the face of these attacks and to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
Israel’s PM Netanyahu’s office noted that “Negotiations with Syria are taking place. Their conclusion is contingent on ensuring the interests of Israel, which include, inter alia, the demilitarization of south-western Syria and preserving the safety and security of the Druze in Syria.”
And, the AFP reports that Hezbollah has been weakened but is still financially resilient a year after Israel attacked the leadership.
However, according to the Jerusalem Post, Lebanese MP Ashraf Rifi says that Hezbollah must be disarmed and prosecuted.
West Bank
IDF Troops in West Bank
Ynetnews reported that Israel has beefed up forces in the West Bank on the eve of the High Holiday season. The Judea and Samaria Division will be staffed by the equivalent of 23 battalions. This comes after a deadly attack in Jerusalem early this month when six Israelis were killed by a gunman at the Ramot junction in Jerusalem.
According to the Times of Israel, another deadly attack took place last week at the Allenby Crossing between Israel and Jordan when a driver in an aid truck headed for Gaza exited his vehicle and opened fire at two IDF guards. The handgun jammed and the driver continued his attack with a knife. Over 150 aid trucks cross into Israel a week on their way to Gaza.
The slain soldiers were named as: Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh, 68, a reservist in the Civil Administration from Jerusalem, and Sgt. Oran Hershko, 20, a liaison officer with foreign forces in the IDF’s Tevel international cooperation unit, from Tel Mond.
Israel is also concerned that an attack similar to that on Oct 7th on the Gaza border settlements might happen in the West Bank Jewish towns and settlements.
The IDF and the Israeli police have been actively raiding Arab cities and villages arresting wanted terrorists, and destroying weapons and explosive labs.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel’s FBI) and Israeli police arrested over 75 wanted individuals in the West Bank including Hamas terrorists in the Bethlehem area. 10 were terrorists from Kabatiya are. Arrests were also made in the Tulkarem area where weapons and explosives were seized.
Also, according to the Times of Israel, on Friday Sept 19th, the IDF said it had caught a Palestinian terror cell in the Ramallah area of the West Bank that had been building rockets intended to be launched at Israeli targets.
Makeshift Rockets Discovered In West Bank
Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, the Palestinian Authority has said that stipends paid to prisoners based on their length of incarceration will be dropped for the 3000 Palestinians who now receive the payment. Rather 2000 Palestinian families will receive stipends based on their families needs.
Ultra-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch has long called for the quashing of the Palestinian Authority called them a terrorist organization pointing to the stipends paid to Palestinian prisoners for crimes against Israel as part of the proof the PA supports terrorists.
Hostages
Rally In Tel Aviv To Free Hostages
According to Ynetnews, hostages families have been holding a vigil at Jerusalem’s Paris Square near Prime Minister Netanyahu’s official Jerusalem residence.
According to Reshet Bet radio, families of the hostages have said there is no joy in this year’s holiday celebration. One mother said she cannot bring herself to say “Happy Holiday” as long as her son is in a cave starving to death in Gaza.
Protesters also camped out outside his home on Jerusalem’s Gaza road. On Saturday night September 20th, tens of thousands of protestors gathered in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv calling for an end to the war and a deal that would bring the hostages home.
48 hostages are still in Gaza with less than 20 alive. Hamas issued a propaganda poster on Friday September 19th with pictures of the hostages and a warning that they would share the fate of disappeared Israeli navigator Ron Arad who has been missing since he was captured in Lebanon in 1986.
US President Trump said on Friday, according to the Times of Israel, that “very close” to 40 of the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza were likely dead, and that rather than being endangered, they “might also be freed” as a result of the IDF operation to take over Gaza City.
The Times of Israel wrote that Trump has repeatedly put hostage families on edge by citing figures that clashed with Israel’s official assessment that 20 hostages were still alive. He said again Friday that “probably 20” are alive, but the true figure “might be” fewer.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “murderer” and exploiting “the patriotism of our soldiers to execute his biggest political problem” in a statement outside the prime minister’s home on Saturday.
Red Sea
Drone (left) Hits Shopping Center In Eilat
On Wednesday evening September 24th, a Houthi drone, flying slow and low, entered Israeli airspace and crashed into a shopping area in the southern port city of Eilat. One man was injured seriously, and two moderately. Over 50 were wounded lightly by shrapnel.
This Houthi attack, the third in two weeks, follows Israel air force planes that again attacked the Houthi port of Hodeida in Sana’a, Yemen.
According to reports this attack severely restricts the supplies arriving at the port and those exports being shipped out.
The Houthis have been firing rockets at Israel since the outbreak of the War in Gaza. Last week a Houthi drone fell into the entry courtyard of an Eilat hotel, causing some minor damage and no injuries.
Usually the Houthi rockets either disintegrate during flight or are shot down by IDF defenses. Human error is blamed for allowing the drones that hit Eilat. The IDF tracks the drones and missiles from their launch. Only when it appears they will approach Israeli territory are the sirens sounded sending millions to their shelters and safe rooms.
According to Ynetnews, the Israeli Air Force carried out multiple strikes Thursday September 25th on Houthi targets in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, regional media reported.
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said “more than 11 Israeli strikes” hit Houthi sites, while Al Hadath reported 13 strikes on military facilities in the central Sabeen Square and the Bab al-Yemen neighborhood.
Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet reported that scores of Israeli fighter-jets took part in the attack. One of the targets was the headquarters of the Houthi army’s chief of staff. The raid took place, according to the radio, during the Houthi leaders weekly television address.
Dona Weiss, a correspondent for Channel 12TV said on Thursday night that it was difficult to stop the attacks from Yemen.
Iron Beam Laser Canon
However, Channel 12TV said the IDF announced on Thursday that they were going to position one of the new Iron Beam laser canon batteries in Eilat to protect that port city, and the nearby Ramon airport, from Houthi missiles.
Meanwhile, according to AFP, Iran has treated reprisals .with long rang missiles should any action be taken against that country. Iran is now faced with “snapback” sanctions for not living up to the agreement allowing IAEA inspectors to view their nuclear facilities. Iran says reimposing UN sanctions derails recent monitoring deal and deepens the nuclear stand off.
Also, recent satellite images show that Iran has begun to rebuild it’s centrifuge center at Fodor.
Politics
New Immigrants Arrive In Israel
According to the Israel government, the population grew to 10.3 million people. An increase of 101,000 were since 2024. 179,000 babies were born, and 25,000 New Immigrants came to Israel. But at the same time, 79,000 emigrated.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara
According to Ynetnews, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara reprimanded the government and senior cabinet ministers Thursday September 18th for threatening not to abide by court rulings.
At a retirement ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, Baharav-Miara listed a series of what she said were efforts to undermine the independence of the judiciary. The attorney general said that “worst of all are calls by senior officials in the executive branch saying they do not intend to abide by judicial orders.”
Baharav-Miara added, “A call not to honor judicial court orders is not a call for judicial reform, it is a call to crush democracy. A country without law.”
Israel’s High Court again sided with Israel’s attorney general Gili Miara-Beharav, telling the Justice Ministry that it was illegal to fire her using the tactics employed by Justice Minister Yariv Levine.
Two new political parties were announced last week. “Yashar” (straight) headed by former Chief-of-Staff Gen (ret.) Gadi Eisenkott and Reservists By former Likud? member Yoav Hendel.
Elections are not slated until September 2026. Some observers are concerned that Netanyahu might try to cancel elections and change the laws to make him a president for life as Russia’s president Putin did.
Former Prime Minister Neftali Bennet, who has formed a new party to run in the next election, and polls show he has about 20 seats, has warned of a possible move to cancel the 2026 elections.
Bennet has warned Israel’s civil servants not to “bend or break rules because of political pressure.” He warned that they would be held accountable once a new government replaced the old one. Bennet also said on Thursday Sept 25th that one of his first acts should he be reelected Prime Minister would be to put limits on how long a PM could hold office.
Also, media reports that the government is trying to push through a bill that would allow the election committee to cancel elections because of the war and the security situation. Some critics see dragging out the war until the 2026 elections gives that strategy credence.
Also, in a further move to curtail freedom of speech, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has begun steps to submit a bill that would change the broadcasting rules. The Attorney General has said that the bill is a threat to democracy.
And the US government has given a $10 million grant to the right-wing Jewish Tikva Fund to combat antisemitism. The Tikva fund is also involved in supporting Israel’s push for Judicial Reforms.
Antisemitism
Pro-Palestinian Rally Wembley Stadium. Benedict Cumberbatch (center)
A number of countries have voted in the UN to recognize a Palestinian state. This has caused an uproar in Israel. According to Ynetnews, Ultra-right wing Minister for National Security Ben Gvir has called on Israel to annex the West Bank as a reply.
But US President Trump, as well as Arab leaders have warned of dire consequences if such a move takes place. President Trump has also said that recognizing a Palestinian State encourages conflict and accedes to Hamas’ ransom demands.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s President Yitzchak Herzog says isolating Israel plays into the interests of extremists seeking to destabilize the free world.
Also, according to Ynetnews, Chairman of the newly formed “Yashar!” party, former Chief of Staff Gen (ret) Gadi Eisenkot said about the decisions of Britain, Canada and Australia recognizing a Palestinian State that “dealing with a Palestinian state at this time and after October 7 is folly and a reward for terrorism. This is the result of a resounding diplomatic failure of the government and Netanyahu.” Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz said the decision “strengthens Hamas and prolongs the war.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, ”The days when Britain and other countries determined our future are over, the mandate is finished and the only response to this anti-Israeli move is sovereignty over the Jewish people’s homeland territories in Judea and Samaria and removing the foolish idea of a Palestinian state from the agenda forever. Mr. Prime Minister, this is the time and it’s in your hands.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Sky News regarding the decision that “Starmer won’t dictate terms to us.”
According to Ynetnews, a senior French diplomat addressed the recognition of a Palestinian state by Britain, Canada and Australia, saying that “France is already working on the second wave of recognition, after the current wave that will include about ten countries.”
According to him, “it won’t end with this. We believe that Japan will eventually recognize a Palestinian state.” France is among the countries leading international support for recognition of a Palestinian state, and it is expected to announce French recognition of Palestine at the UN General Assembly meeting.
Ynetnews reported that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attacked the decision by Britain, Canada and Australia to officially recognize a Palestinian state, saying: “Most countries in the world have already recognized a Palestinian state in the past. This was obviously wrong. But those countries that are doing it now, after October 7, are making a move that is wrong, outrageous and immoral.”
According to Saar, “On one hand - it’s a reward for Hamas. On the other hand, it’s a reward for the Palestinian Authority that pays terrorists and encourages terror.” Saar added that “the future of Israel will not be decided in London or Paris, it will be decided here, in Jerusalem.”
According to Ynetnews, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the decision by Britain, Australia and Canada to recognize a Palestinian state, writing: “A Palestinian state will not be established. The response to the latest attempt to impose a terror state in the heart of our country will be given after my return from the United States.”
The Prime Minister added that he has “a clear message to those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the October 7 massacre: you are giving a huge reward to terrorism. And I have another message for you: it won’t happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan.”
Netanyahu also claimed that for years he has prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state, strengthened settlements in the West Bank - and will continue to do so.
And, according to the London Economist, there is a dramatic erosion of American public and institutional support for Israel. In an extensive series of reports, the British weekly describes how, amid the prolonged war in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, Americans are turning away from Israel, and the political system is reflecting this shift.
According to the magazine, Israel now finds itself more dependent on the United States than ever, yet its foundation of support is eroding in ways that could change the rules of the game. By drawing on polling data, testimonies, and political analysis, the Economist paints a comprehensive picture of a widening rift: across parties, generations, and communities, with the potential to reshape U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.
According to the London Economist in its cover story, “How Israel is losing America,” the magazine notes that while Netanyahu poses with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and declares the alliance as “solid as the Western Wall,” the numbers tell a different story.
Polls show 53% of Americans now hold a negative opinion of Israel, with sympathy for Israel versus the Palestinians at a 25-year low. Forty-three percent of respondents believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The steepest drop is among older Democrats, where negative views have surged 23 percentage points in just three years. Support has also slipped among young Republicans—from 63% in 2022 to nearly an even split today. Even among young evangelicals, once a cornerstone of pro-Israel sentiment, support fell from 69% in 2018 to 34% in 2021, with pollsters noting the decline has continued.
And according to the Times of Israel, a new ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) poll Jews feel increasingly scared and isolated in university campuses. 78% now cancel their Jewish identity. 81% deny any Zionist affiliation.
A veteran Jerusalemite who owns a hair-dressing salon said of the polls and Economist story, “Let them come here. They won’t feel that way.”
And, according to the Times of Israel, reports of aggressive anti-Israeli incidents in Europe are becoming increasingly frequent. Italy has emerged as a hotspot along with Spain.
In Italy a serious incident occurred at the University of Pisa, where dozens of pro-Palestinian activists stormed a lecture by Professor Rino Casella, whom they branded as a “Zionist.”
The group waved Palestinian flags and shouted insults. A student who stood up for Casella was assaulted. Casella also stepped in and was beaten, taken to the hospital with head and arm injuries. Casella said he thought he was targeted for criticizing the university’s decision to cut all ties with Israel.
According to Ynetnews, Italian unions have called strikes in 75 cities in Italy in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Prof. Pini Zorea During Lecture In Turin, Italy
The second incident in Italy took place at the Polytechnic University of Turin, where Pini Zorea, an Israel professor at the Braude College of Engineering in Israel, was invited to teach a course.
Students chanted “Free Palestine,” to which Zorea replied, “We also want to see Palestine free, but free from Hamas.”
In the USA nearly 2000 artists, writers, and movie stars have penned a letter condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza.
And at an event n England’s Wembley Stadium $2 million was raised for aid to Gaza. “Free Palestine” banners were seen. Actors Richard Gere, Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh and Javier Bardem, who wore a kaffiyeh, took part in the event.
According to Ynetnews, a new report by the Combat Antisemitism Movement recorded 694 antisemitic incidents world wide in August 2025, a 15% increase from 2024. The US led with 162 cases, then Greece with 108, 92 in the UK, 22 in France and 32 in Canada.
On average 22.4 incidents happened per day world wide. In July 2025, 554 incidents were recorded. 4,574 incidents have been recorded from Jan 2025 to August 31, 2025. an increase of 10% over 2024. Of them 91 were vandalism with damage to Jewish institutions or Jewish-owned property. 39 were violent, assaults, bomb threats, explicit attempts to intimidate Jews and the Jewish community.
New York City had the highest, 34 in August. And while 96,000 Jews live in New York State, making up only 11% of the state’s population, over 50% of the hate crimes recorded in New York State were against the Jewish population.
Editorial
Refugees Leaving Gaza City
If only there were elections today in Israel the Netanyahu government would no longer be in power. Recent polls show that Netanyahu’s coalition would only garner 50 seats in new elections when a minimum of 61 seats is needed to form a government.
Meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza goes on. Nearly 700,000 out of the one million residents of Gaza City have been told to abandon their homes and go farther south to a ‘safe zone’ where tents, water, food and other facilities await them.
But leaving is expensive. According to Ynetnews, the price of hiring a vehicle to move a family is estimated to be about $4,000, and buying a tent to make sure they had a roof, however flimsy, over their heads costs $2,000. Those Gazans who don’t have that kind of money are staying put, stuck in Gaza City awaiting Israel army’s full incursion.
The IDF has surrounded Gaza City. Tank units have already moved in prodding the Gazans to leave their homes. This mass exodus was to have put pressure on the Hamas terrorist organization and bring them to the negotiation table. Nice idea. But so far it has not worked.
Neither has the attempted assassination of the Hamas leaders living in Doha. If anything, the attack in Doha strengthened the resolve of the Hamas leaders who were considered obdurate even before the attack on their lives.
And then there’s commentators like Channel 12TV’s Arab Affairs reporter Ohad Hemo who said that Gaza City only had a few thousands Hamas fighters there when most of the only one of 24 Hamas brigades surviving is based outside of Gaza City. Many Hamas soldiers and officers hid among the masses flowing out of Gaza City.
Israeli families who have soldiers in Gaza, spouses, children, grandchildren, relatives of friends, are worried about the fate of the soldiers. One American mother whose son left the USA for Israel after high school to fight Hamas, with plans to return to the USA after the war and attend university, was frantic at the news her son had entered Gaza with his unit.
She is not alone. The reservists who are to make up the bulk of the soldiers entering Gaza have found their ranks depleted. Estimates are that only 30% - 40% of those called up for duty, some who have already served hundreds of days in combat in Gaza, have returned to their units.
Even the IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has voiced his concern about the latest operation, this one titled Gideon’s Chariots II. He has said that there is a great risk to the remaining 48 hostages, probably less than 20 alive, by entering Gaza City.
Military correspondents and commentators have said that this would not be there first time the IDF has been in Gaza City.
If only this time the IDF succeeds in smashing Hamas and forcing them to the negotiating table. If only. But that outcome seems unlikely.
According to reports, the only one who can stop Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to conquer Gaza is US President Trump. And while President Trump has frequently said that a deal for the hostages release is imminent so far these have been empty words.
So, the hostages wither in captivity. The IDF suspects that some have been brought out of their hiding places and are now in the buildings remaining in Gaza City. Hamas hopes that this move will keep the IDF from what seems to be a determination to destroy every building in Gaza City.
Gaza has become a rallying cry for well-meaning liberals around the world. Palestinian activists are gloating in this support for their cause.
Israel, meanwhile, is losing the battle for public opinion. And PM Netanyahu ignores the international condemnation, ignores the protests by the families of the hostages, and their supporters. It seems, according to some observers, that he has already written off the hostages. Adding them to the 1200 Israelis massacred by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023.
Netanyahu has been criticized for only worrying about keeping his government in power. He has the support of those elected with him in the last election. And seems frightened that ultra right Knesset members like National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch, and their supporters. These two have threatened to bolt the coalition and cause the government to fall. Some commentators say they are the real decision makers about what happens in Gaza, not Netanyahu who fears being pushed from power should his government fall.
Last week Ben Gvir said that it would be a tragic mistake to allow the Red Cross to visit Palestinians in Israeli prisoners. Some believe Ben Gvir is withholding food and services from these prisoners as punishment for their actions as terrorists.
Smotritch has said that seizing Gaza and pushing out the Palestinians would be a real estate ‘Bonanza,’ Echoing what President Trump said at the outset of the Gaza War, when the real estate mogul envisioned Gaza as one giant tourist resort.
Smotritch, whose party represents Israeli settlers, has said he has enough people ready to settle entire neighborhoods of Gaza.
If only he were replaced in the government along with Ben Gvir and Justice Minister Levine, who is still pushing for Judicial Reforms and seeking desperately for a way to fire Attorney General Gili Baharav-Miara. The attorney general has the temerity to stand up to Netanyahu and his government and remind them they are not above the law. If only Netanyahu would listen to her.
On the Jewish New Year, more Israelis are thinking about leaving than Jews are thinking about making Aliyah. One hears the discussions, if Netanyahu is elected again, they are leaving. Where is the only question.
The USA, with a progressive anti-Israeli who will probably be the new mayor of New York City, and President Trump, who is using his power to search out and prosecute those who criticize him, acting more and more like a dictator than the leader of a democratic country that is supposed to be a beacon to the world, seems less an option.
One second-generation Holocaust survivor said that it may be time to leave. Had her grandparents been reasonable in the 1930’s in Germany they’d still be alive. Perhaps, she says, that’s what we are seeing today in Israel. And some Jews in America are saying that’s exactly what they’re feeling in the USA. Where to go and when?
If only moderate politicians would take the stage. If only the world would become a reasonably safe place with reasonable leaders, not the strong men like Putin and Edogan and Trump and Netanyahu, each trying to outdo the other.
If only….
Meanwhile, to all those who observe Jewish laws and traditions Happy New Year. Let’s hope and pray for a better one than the last two. Let’s hope, and pray.