As 2025 CE comes to a close and we begin 2026 (it's still 5786 according to the Jewish Calendar), I thought I would try to get one more blog together before all the festivities begin. Okay, the truth is that here in Israel, there aren't that many festivities. There are a bunch of parties around the country for sure, and lots of celebrations taking place. But in Israel, December 31st and Jan 1st are normal work days - where everything is pretty much business as usual. In many parts of the country - people celebrate "Sylvester" parties - sometimes - even with a trees (the Russian/ Eastern European influence) but many people I know are not doing that much. Despite that - I still wish everyone a very happy New Year - with the hopes that 2026 will bring good news, peace in the many places of the world that are involved in conflicts - and the best of health.
There is a great deal to write about and, as usual, I will probably wind up covering a variety of topics. I will write until I have had enough and then leave some things to discuss for next blog.
I thought I would start this time with a few completely non-political things (though everything in Israel tends to be political somehow...).
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| The Hoopoe |
Some News Items
Where to start? There is always so much going on here politically that it is hard to choose what to write about it. But I thought I would pick a few things and provide a few comments.
2026 - An Election Year in Israel and Bibi's Quest for a Pardon
As you might know, 2026 will be an election year in Israel - assuming nothing extraordinary happens. The election is supposed to take place by October 27, 2026 - though like in any parliamentary democracy - the election occurs whenever the government falls (or dissolves itself) thought it must take place by a certain date - but not necessarily on that date. It is far too early to get into a discussion of what might happen - since we do not yet know which parties will be running (for sure). There may be some new parties, some parties might drop out and some parties might combine. Still lots of time. One thing I would say that we can predict - is that Prime Minister Netanyahu ("Bibi') will want to get his criminal trial resolved before the election. And he is making significant efforts to do that.
Bibi's trial is progressing, albeit at a relatively slow pace. But according to most objective commentators that I have read - the trial is not going particularly well for Bibi. It is highly unlikely that he could succeed in getting a not guilty verdict on all charges. Anything is possible - but Bibi and his legal team realize that it is simply far too risky to leave his fate with the judges. Although Bibi and his team of advisors constantly denounce the proceedings and claim that the case against him is "sewn together," "collapsing" and has "no chance," the reality is clearly otherwise. Parenthetically, I note that many of the comments that Bibi and his team have made publicly about the trial would probably be viewed as "contempt of court" in many other places.
As a result, Bibi and his legal team filed a lengthy pardon request with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog. Herzog has the power, under Israeli law, to grant a pardon. However, pardons in Israel have usually only been granted where there is an admission of wrongdoing, a request for leniency and a conviction or the likelihood of a conviction. Apparently, Bibi's lengthy letter includes attacks on the court system, the prosecution, the investigators and just about everyone else. In an normal world, this type of request would have no chance of success since it does not involve admission of wrongdoing, contrition or any basis for the granting of the pardon.
Netanyahu's letter has been characterized instead as a request to stop the trial - not a traditional pardon. Bibi is essentially saying - "for the sake of national unity, it makes sense to stop this trial against me - even though I would eventually win. If you do that - I can bring about national unity." There are many problems with this, obviously. But some commentators have suggested that President Herzog will agree, even if it does not seem to be an appropriate request. For one thing, Herzog was elected by the Israeli Knesset as the President with significant backing from Netanyahu. He is not a particularly strong figure and, quite simply, he may not be able to withstand the pressure that he is facing - from Bibi and his supporters.
To add to the pressure, President Trump has jumped into the fray. Trump has sent an official letter asking Israel to pardon Bibi and he has raised the issue in several speeches. Just yesterday - at a press conference at Mari Logo in Florida, President Trump called, again, for a pardon. He said "I spoke to President Herzog and I was assured that it was on the way." Shortly afterwards - Herzog issued a form of denial (though more of a "non-denial denial" I would say). In any case, the level of interference here by Trump and other Republicans in a domestic Israeli matter is astounding and I think, unprecedented.
Commentators here believe that Netanyahu is actively requesting Trump's help to get the pardon. These are desperate moves - but Netanyahu is in a desperate place with his trial.
On balance, I have consistently said that I do not believe that this case will ever get to a verdict. My view was (and is) that it would likely end with a plea bargain of some sort and/or a pardon. At this point, it seems more and more likely that President Herzog will grant some sort of pardon to Netanyahu though the details and terms (if any) of that pardon remain to be seen.
Somaliland
As you might know, Israel become the first country in the word, this week, to recognize the country of Somaliland, a breakoff Muslim republic which was formerly part of Somalia. Like many people, I had never heard of Somaliland before. But the people of Somaliland are thrilled. They are waving Israeli flags, welcoming Israeli visitors and talking about cooperation in many different ways. Somaliland is right across the water from Yemen and would provide Israel with some very strategic opportunities to fight back against the Houthis (who were sending missiles to Israel from October 2023 until the cease fire).
Somaliland has apparently indicated a willingness to accept a large number of Gazan refugees, though I am not sure that the Gazans actually want to go there.
It is striking that so many countries have denounced Israel for recognizing Somaliland (Turkey has made some really outrageous comments, for example), even while many of these same countries have recognized "Palestine" - including Canada. Unlike Somaliland, Palestine does not have a defined territory, an operational government or many of the other trappings of a state that Somaliland has in place. Turkey, of course, is certainly worried that parts of its territory could form part of "Kurdistan" or Armenia. And many other countries have their own territorial concerns. But the hypocrisy is staggering.
Not sure how this is all going to work out - and we do not have any current plans to visit Somaliland. But who knows? Maybe one day. It apparently has some very nice beach front. Maybe Trump will build some resorts there.
Iran
The news coming from Iran is fascinating. As you have probably seen, there are demonstrations across the country, many calling for the end of the current dictatorship. These are apparently the result of a massive increase in the cost of living and huge economic problems in the country.
Meanwhile, President Trump has stated that he would back further attacks on Iran to limit its ballistic missile program or to destroy its nuclear program. At the same time, President Trump has clearly called for negotiations with Iran to reach a new nuclear treaty.
As I watch some live news now, there are reports that demonstrators in Iran have broken into government buildings and have really increased the level of violence. The Iranian government is responding with arrests and violence.
Of course, I am not in any position to predict how this might go. But Israel had diplomatic relations with Iran before the Iranian revolution in 1979. Although the current Iranian regime has been a bitter enemy of Israel - Israelis believe that Iran is one of the best potential peace partners for the future - since Israelis believe that most of the Iranian people do not share the Iranian governments hatred of Israel.
If there is a regime change in Iran at some point, I believe that the possibilities for peace in the Middle East would advance significantly.
Gaza
The future of Gaza seems very unclear to me. According to Trump's ceasefire plan, Hamas was supposed to return all of the Israeli hostages (living and deceased), to give up its weapons and to allow a new authority to take over and run Gaza. Although almost all of the hostages have now been returned -there is one left - Ron Gvilli - who is presumed dead - Hamas has not shown any interest in demilitarizing and, on the contrary, seems to be rearming - and trying to reestablish control over Gaza.
Bibi's right wing partners including Ben-Gvir and Smotrich - would like Israel to send more troops to Gaza and take complete control over the entire territory. On the other hand, the Trump plan calls for an end to the war, for the Israeli troops to leave (over time) and for a multi-national group - to run Gaza (though not Hamas).
It seems unlikely to me that Trump will give Netanyahu or his coalition any kind of "green light" for further operations in Gaza in the near term- unless Hamas crosses certain lines with actions that it takes. That being said, I am not sure how Trump is going to bring about the demilitarization of Hamas, the takeover of Gaza by an international coalition etc., This remains to be seen.
I should note that several countries including Great Britain, France and Canada have criticized Israel for refusing to allow some agencies to work freely in Gaza. But as we have seen in the news, many of these "charitable" organizations - like UNWRA - were hosting and supporting terrorists and included members who were involved in the the October 7, 2023 massacres in Israel. Many of the alleged Gazan "reporters" who were killed during the war were actually terrorists and Hamas fighters disguised as reporters. Gazan hospitals were also used as Hamas bases - and some hostages were even held in Gazan hospitals.
Qatargate
As if Bibi didn't have enough problems - the Qatargate scandal has gained quite a bit of publicity and attention this past week in Israel.
In short, Bibi apparently had a number of advisors working for him - during the war (and even now) who were also being paid by the Qatari government. One of these was Eli Feldstein, Netanyahu's
spokesman for military affairs. Others involved include Yisrael Einhorn, Ofer Golan, and Yonatan Ulrich.
In short the allegations include claims that Feldstein leaked highly confidential intelligence documents to a German newspaper - which would have the effect of helping Bibi to reject calls for a ceasefire. The leaks also embarrassed the Egyptian government.
As the matter came to light and the Shin Bet was called upon to investigate, Netanyahu fired the head of the Shin Bet and sought to replace him with someone much more favourable to Netanyahu.
Ultimately, Ulrich and Feldstein were arrested and charged and are awaiting trial.
Feldstein was interviewed last week by Israeli TV in a three part nationally televised interview (stretching over three evenings in prime-time) where he basically suggested (sometimes explicitly sometimes implicitly) that all of these advisors and Netanyahu knew exactly what was going on, that the actions taken were taken at the behest of Netanyahu and that Feldstein is being made the fall guy for what he did - even though he was serving the country as requested.
I have no way to assess how much of Feldstein's interview was true. However, it is undeniable that Netanyahu had several advisors working for him who were on the Qatari payroll. If Netanyahu did not know that they were acting against Israel's interest while working in his office - that would suggest a high level of incompetence for someone who is very much a detail person and stays on top of all of the goings on in his office. On the other hand, if Feldstein's version is correct, then advisors in Netanyahu's closest circles were actively collaborating with an enemy regime - while that regime was acting as Hamas' agent in the cease fire negotiations.
There is quite a stink here - and it certainly seems to add up to a number of charges of Treason - perhaps running to the very top. Much more serious than Bibi's current legal troubles. Perhaps that is why Bibi is so interested in getting a pre-emptive pardon - that shields him from everything.
Threats Against the Supreme Court
This week, Israeli Finance Minister, Betzalel Smotrich, from the far right Religious Zionist party went on a rant against the Israeli Supreme Court and, in particular the head of the Court, Yitzhak Amit. Smotrich claimed that the Supreme Court has "trampled" the rights of Israelis by making "violent decisions" that deprive Israelis of their rights. As he result, he said it was time that Yitzhak Amit himself be "trampled." I am not making this up. I have seen the interview several times now. Moreover, a few of Netanyahu's cabinet ministers agreed and and said that Smotrich's calls should be "acted on."
You cannot spin this in very many ways. It is completely shocking, unacceptable and extremely dangerous. A sitting cabinet minister in the Israeli government making death threats against the head of the Supreme Court.
The leader of the Democrat Party (an amalgam of the former Labour Party and the former Meretz Party) Yair Golan called for a police investigation and called for Smotrich to be charged and brought to justice. Not likely to happen at this point but this was a frightening escalation of the rhetoric by the Israeli far right against the Supreme Court. Of course given the steps taken by Simcha Rotman and Yariv Levin, and their proposed Judicial Revolution, these types of comments did not come out of the blue - even though this type of outright threat of violence is a marked escalation.
So far, most members of Netanyahu's party, with a handful of exceptions, have been remarkably silent in response.
More about the Trump Netanyahu Meeting This Week
I couldn't finish this blog without mentioning some of the lovefest comments that Bibi and Trump shared this week at Mari Lago.
Trump slathered Bibi with compliments, calling him an incredible leader and saying that Israel might not exist today if it weren't for Bibi. I'm not even sure that Bibi's most ardent supporters believe that. As mentioned above, Trump also said that he was doing his best to get Bibi his pardon and that had been assured by President Herzog that it was "on the way."
Meanwhile, Bibi called Trump the greatest friend Israel has ever had "by far" and, through one of his ministers, Yoav Kish, on a cell phone call in the middle of the press conference, announced that Trump would be given the "Israel Prize" in April 2026. This is a prize given annually to an Israeli, regarded as Israel's highest cultural honour. There are strict conditions - for example the Prize is given to Israeli citizens or Israel-based companies. It also carries a monetary gift.
Given Trump's successful efforts in bringing about a cease fire, arranging for the return of the hostages, and pushing for broader Middle East peace, it certainly makes sense for Israel to honour Trump's accomplishments. But given that the Prime Minister, pushing for the award to be bestowed on Trump, is also actively seeking Trump's support to get a pardon - well the whole thing just seems like a wee bit of a conflict of interest. (Just a wee bit of course).
Perhaps Trump will also spend some time in Israel during election time, actively campaigning for Bibi. After all, Netanyahu did whatever he could during the U.S. election to help Trump.
Spreading Anti-Semitism
As you know, anti-Semitic attacks, demonstrations and rhetoric have been spreading like wildfire across the world. The attack in Australia during the lighting of candles on Chanukah was shocking and devastating. In the U.S., the language coming from a wide variety of actors in the right - including Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens and even JD Vance is getting ever more frightening.
In Canada this week, as shoppers were headed to the malls for boxing day sales, extremist protestors unfurled Palestinian flags and took over large public areas in several large shopping malls including the Toronto Easton Centre with slogans calling for the "globalization of the intifada" shouted by masked protestors. This in a country with some extremist anti-Israel (and even anti-Semitic) leaders including Toronto's Mayor Chow and the Prime Minister himself, Mark Carney.
In New York, the city is now headed by a virulently anti-Israel Mayor and the consequences of that election remain to be seen for the Jewish community in New York. But it is hard to imagine that the New York Jewish community should feel particularly safe with that type of Mayor.
Jewish communities around the world are facing simultaneous threats from the far right and the far left - collaborating with Jihadist extremist Muslims. Hopefully, all of these trends will somehow be reversed but it is hard to see when and how this will happen.
Sometimes Israel seems like the answer - a haven for Jews from all of these threats. At the same time, as I have discussed above, there are growing threats to the viability of Israeli democracy internally and that is also a threat for the Jewish people, in Israel and worldwide.
Sports
I feel like I have to lighten up things by finishing with a comment or two about sports.
Here are some interesting comments.
First of all, in the hockey world, Israeli defenseman Zeev Buium was traded to the Vancouver Canucks as part of the multi-player package sent to the Minnesota Wild for superstar Quinn Hughes. Buium was born in the U.S. to Israeli parents. His mother played professional basketball in Israel for a period for of time. I believe he is already the most successful Israeli NHL hockey player (if not the only one). Since the trade, the Canucks have played much better and Buium has been thrown into a very key role for the team.
In NBA basketball, Israeli Deni Avdija is one of the highest all star vote getters so far this year. He is currently playing for the Portland Trail Blazers and formerly played for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Israel. According to reports, Avdija sat out a pre-season game in 2024 to observe Yom Kippur. This season, Avdija is 15th in the NBA in points per game and 12th in assists. His Portland Trail Blazers are not tearing up the league with their 14-19 record - but they do have a chance of making the playoffs.
Meanwhile, I am trying to stay on top of the annual world Junior Hockey Tournament - as of this writing Canada was undefeated - with the toughest challenge - a game scheduled against Finland due to take place tonight. But it is very hard to watch these games in Israel since no sports station carries them. Only through creative streaming solutions - but that assumes I want to watch from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.
I am also looking forward to the NFL playoffs and hoping that the Buffalo Bills will finally get somewhere, especially now that they will not have to play against Kansas City. (Though there are certainly a number of very good teams in the AFC). Mostly these games are widely televised on Israeli TV and are at a more manageable time.
Flying
El Al has announced massive sales especially for trips to and from Europe. For North America, they are still quite expensive - and they are still not flying directly to Canada.
As a result, I am taking advantage of the fact that Air Canada has restored direct service to and from Israel. That will certainly make my life much easier in 2026, assuming that the current cease fires that are in place hold up.
With that, I think I will end my update for 2025 and wish everyone a terrific 2026 - a year of good health, worldwide peace, and all good things. As usual, I welcome your comments, compliments, disagreements, attacks (within reason) and other input. Happy New Year.
