With the return of the final hostage, the clock marking the days since the start of the October 7 war and captivity of 250 hostages was finally stilled and then darkened, symbolizing the end of one of the darkest periods in the history of Israel.

This week’s Profile in Power is Prof. Hagai Levine, who is an Israeli physician, epidemiologist, and public-health expert who emerged as a central civic voice in the aftermath of October 7, 2023. As Head of the Health Team within the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Levine reframed the hostage crisis not as a political dilemma, but as an urgent humanitarian and medical emergency. Drawing on decades of professional expertise, he brought clarity, data, and ethical grounding to public discourse, insisting that time, health deterioration, and preventable loss of life must be treated as decisive factors rather than abstract considerations. His interventions helped shift both public and international attention toward the human cost of inaction.

This is the last weekly issue as we move to a monthly schedule (1st Monday of the month).

In this issue we focus on Qatar, one of President Trump’s favorite countries, and how it has funded the anti-Israeli/pro-Palestinian movement. We also discuss the recent events in Iran and an attack on the mother of the remaining Israeli hostage. Our Portrait of Power this week is Col. (res.) Miri Eisen who is an Israeli reserve officer and civic leader who emerged as a prominent voice following the events of October 7, 2023.

Sexual abuse and rape as tools of war are as old as time. During the Rwandan genocide of 1994, over the course of 100 days, up to half a million women and children were raped, sexually mutilated, or murdered. In this issue we focus on the personal revelations that the hostages have begun making public this week. We then bring your attention to a news story, two weeks before the October 7 massacre, Israel’s Foreign Ministry and National Security Council received information from Egypt warning that the situation in Gaza was “explosive.” We also discuss the concessions on issues where Israeli interests conflict with those of the Trump administration that we fear Netanyahu may give President Trump as “Christmas gifts”.

Finally our “Profile in Power” is about Lali Deri, who ever since Jan. 12 of last year has been an important face of the opposition to the current government from within its own electoral base. Lali is an Israeli bereaved mother and emerging civic leader who has come to public attention through her passionate advocacy for shared national responsibility in the defense of Israel.

Thanks to a comment from one of our readers during the first weeks when we began publishing this newsletter, we decided that we would not ask our readers for money. This week, however, we focus on tax-deductible donations from an angle that you might not hear about elsewhere. For those of you who pay taxes in the U.S. or U.K. (including Israelis with dual citizenship), this is well worth reading today - before the end of the year. This year, even U.S. citizens who take the Standard Deduction can actually take a separate tax deduction for up to $1,000 USD that was not available in the past. Dual citizens can also get a tax deduction in Israel for donations to good causes that the current Israeli government won't give tax deductible status to.

This week's Portrait in Power is Eli Sharabi whose voice has become one of the most morally resonant in the aftermath of October 7, 2023. Sharabi was abducted by Hamas and held hostage, while his wife Lianne and daughters Noiya and Yahel were murdered in their home. Eli's brother Yossi was also taken hostage and later killed in captivity. Since his return, Sharabi has become one of the most powerful civic voices calling for national accountability, the return of all hostages, and a moral reckoning with the failures that led to October 7.

Finally we end this week's newsletter with a little about the last remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, who we want all of you to think about this week.

As if we needed a reminder that antisemitism is rampant in nearly all parts of the globe today, yesterday’s murderous terror attack in Bondi Beach, Australia, was gut-punching reminder. Fueled by the “globalize the Intifada” movement and, likely, funded by Iran, two men opened fire on the annual Hannukah celebration in the Australian beach town, killing 15 people and injuring another 27. This week we discuss the attack and how the Bondi Beach Massacre did not occur in a vacuum.

This week's Portrait in Power is Eyal Eshel who is an Israeli entrepreneur, farmer, and civic organizer who became one of the most visible civilian leaders in the wake of October 7, 2023. His leadership took on profound personal meaning after his daughter, Roni Eshel, a soldier stationed at the Nahal Oz base, was murdered during the Hamas attack.

Israeli is still in trauma over the Oct. 7 massacre and even after two years and the return of all of the living hostages, we have not begun the healing process because of one remaining body still held hostage. This may not make sense to anyone else, but for Israelis it is impossible to move on. The feeling of betrayal and failure by all of our institutions to protect us on Oct. 7 runs deep. The feeling of abandonment runs deep. It runs so deep, that leaving even one body behind in Gaza threatens to undermine our faith in the State of Israel.

This week we focus on Draft Evasion Law which is the one issue that Netanyahu fears can not only bring down the current government, but also breakup his strange coalition of 4 completely different constituencies that he managed to meld into one. We go into more detail than usual and it is well worth reading. We also describe co-founder and Head of Policy of the IDF Reservists’ Wives Forum, Shvut Raanan, who is one of the potential new leaders that are not currently politicians - so off most news source radars outside of Israel. In the What Else Happened section we tell you a little about the most recent controversy - yesterday's request by Netanyahu for a Presidential Pardon. An finally we end with a little about the continued protests for the return of the two hostage bodies held in Gaza.

Now that the war in Gaza is mostly over and the bodies of only 3 hostages remain the calls for an Official State Commission of Inquiry into Israel’s failures that led to October 7, 2023 are forcing Netanyahu and his coalition partners to respond. And the response?…

Welcome back to the twilight zone known as Israel political leadership. Instead of a Commission of Inquiry the government decided to create what the public considers a Whitewash Commission. It may be hard to believe, but over the past week, the Israeli government’s cabinet decided to set up an investigative committee to unload the blame for the lack of preparedness for the Hamas attack on Israel. The proposed committee is made up of the most irresponsible ministers possible who will supposedly investigate what led up to the events of October 7 and who is responsible.

This week we focus on Sara and Yair Netanyahu who were never elected or even appointed to official office. Why? Because this week two journalists, Yinon Magal and Amit Segal, publicly criticized Sara and Yair’s interference in affairs of state. What makes this news is that among Bibi Netanyahu’s political base, they are possibly the most influential news reporters. Amit Segal has earned a reputation as one of Israel’s leading news reporters despite his right-wing bent. Yinon Magal, meanwhile, hosts a controversial news program called “The Patriots” on Israel’s Channel 14 that is more of a show than a newscast.

This week we focus on the importance of the return of Lt. Hadar Goldin's body who was held by Hamas for over 11 years. This is not just any hostage body, but a symbol for both Israelis and Hamas. We also discuss the importance of other bodies returned and whether Netanyahu will cave into pressure from President Trump to abandon the families of the 4 remaining (dead) hostages. To many of you, this may be a minor issue, but to Israelis it is the difference between the start of a national recovery and a reason to return to active warfare. We also continue with our series of a new generation of potential leaders who might just replace the current leadership (both the Netanyahu and the leaders of our current political opposition). Finally we mention a select few other events that also occurred over the past week.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and for the first time in five years, the government has chosen to hold an official memorial service. Watching the current government pretend to care about the assassination rings as hollow as it did when they were in the opposition and Rabin was murdered.

In this issue we begin a series of articles worth reading: Portraits in Power: Who are the Potential Future Leaders of Israel?

So much has happened since our last newsletter, including the release of the remaining living hostages (20), the revelations about their terrifying captivity, the release of the bodies of 15 hostages, and the promise of a peace “unlike any peace seen in the last 3000 years” (if we’re to believe the rhetoric).

And yet, Israel — or for that matter the rest of the Middle East — cannot return to normalcy as long as the remaining 13 hostages, include two American-Israelis (Itay Chen and Omer Neutra) remain in the hands of Hamas.

As Israel prepares to enter the High Holidays—Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot—we turn our gaze inward. This period, known in Hebrew as the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe), is more than a religious observance; it is a season of deep reflection, accountability, and renewal.

In Israel, these days always take on an especially powerful dimension. Beyond the personal prayers of families and congregations, the High Holidays resonate with a broader national spirit of self-examination. Questions of justice, unity, and resilience are carried into the collective conversation, echoing the timeless themes of responsibility and renewal.

For a little humor and perspective, we included a link to the “Remember to Blame Israel” app.

Both characters are almost biblical in pure good or evil that the masses attribute to them, and in their complexity. Each have said or done things that have made a huge positive difference, along with other things that can be extremely damaging.

In this issue we focus on the deal that President Trump put on the table yesterday and may actually come about. Can he scare Netanyahu and Hamas (or its backers like Qatar and Turkey) enough to get a deal done in time for a Nobel Peace Prize?

Democracy is supposed to ensure a bond between elected leaders and the electorate that don’t necessarily exist in a monarchy or dictatorship. Democratically elected leaders are expected to understand their citizens and their needs; but here in Israel the coalition that was duly elected lives in its own “Versailles,” where it not only neglects the hostages that it abandoned 696 days ago, but is cut off from the reality and values of its citizens.

Bodies of Two Hostages Recovered

Hostage Families Continue Efforts, Pressure to Release the Remaining Hostages

Last week, the IDF recovered the bodies of two of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza: 56-year-old Ilan Weiss, a Kibbutz Be’eri security squad volunteer, and 28-year-old Nova festival photographer, Idan Shtivi. Idan was killed on October 7, 2023, and his body taken captive by Hamas terrorists from the Nova desert rave. Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed Idan as a hero, “On October 7, 2023, he took part in the Nova music festival, and when the terrorist attack began, he acted to rescue and save many participants at the party,” said Netanyahu.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has practically decided that he wants the IDF to conquer all of Gaza City, much of which has escaped much of the house to house street fighting in this war. Among Netanyahu’s other concerns, such as his corruption trials, his attempts to fire Israel’s Attorney General, and Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation from other liberal democracies in the world, the Israeli Prime Minister is busy preparing for a long, and possibly drought and disastrous military campaign into the heart of the enemy’s stronghold.

Senior analysts within the IDF are convinced that Netanyahu’s primary goal is to keep his right-wing coalition intact for a few more months. The Israeli Prime Minister is under pressure from an emboldened right flank both within his own Likud party, and from the even more extreme right Religious Zionist party, lead Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Since the beginning of this war, the more extreme right-wing factions in Israel have struggled to push a narrative that they can guarantee the safety of Israeli civilians.

This week's issue covers a lot of ground. In addition to our main focus, we cover the shock of the hostage families when they heard U.S. President Trump say that fewer than 20 hostages are still alive despite not getting any updates on this from the Israeli government.

There are also plenty of other issues covered that occurred this week like the E1 Controversy, Life in Israel's Parallel Universe and Antisemitism in Europe.

Strikes and Demonstrations Across the Country

Sunday saw the largest day of protests in Israel since the murder of six hostages by Hamas last August in Gaza. Organizers say 500,000 attended the rally in Hostages Square that culminated the day-long strike, where over 1 million people from all political backgrounds protested across the country with one unified message: release the hostages and save our soldiers by ending the war.

Other topics include:

• Israel’s Fragile Government Faces New Challenges

• Israel’s Channel 14

• Bringing Home the Hostages: 50 Hostages / 20 Presumed Alive

• What Else Happened This Week

This week we've decided to focus on the hypocrisy of world opinion outside of Israel, with an emphasis on the lack of journalistic standards in the mainstream media and Europe's own treatment of Palestinians vis-a-vis other "refugee groups". We chose not to focus on events inside Israel because the pace of this weeks events were too fast for us to analyze them properly, especially in regards the governments decision regarding the war in Gaza and the possibility that enough reservists will refuse to report to duty if called now when the coalition is pushing hard to formally exempt the Haredi community from military service.

While the mainstream media around the world is accusing Israel of a crime that it isn’t committing - intentional and active starvation of innocents in Gaza - it is ignoring the real crime of intentional and active starvation of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. We don’t deny that civilians in Gaza are starving, Israel has allowed aid to enter Gaza, while Hamas prevents the food from actually reaching the poor civilians. While international aid organizations blame Israel for not allowing them to distribute aid that goes almost entirely to Hamas, Israel’s attempts at a different distribution aid have had problems (to say the least), but that is different from intentional and active starvation attempts.

In the meantime, for nearly two whole years, all of the international aid organizations have failed to lift a finger to prevent or even publicize the torture and intentional starvation of innocent Israelis who were stolen from their homes by Hamas and who are being actively starved. The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and many other mainstream media have been putting pictures of starving babies on their front pages (including those of children suffering from other medical conditions and starving children in Houthi-controlled Yemen) with accusations about Israel, but bury stories of real intentional starvation - and inside showing photos of protests rather than the actual victims of starvation.