UN Security Council to hold urgent Monday session on Israel's recognition of Somaliland
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December 27, 2025
December 27, 2025
Netanyahu to travel to U.S. for Trump meeting as Gaza and Iran set to top agenda
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Florida on Sunday morning for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in what will be the sixth meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January.
PM Netanyahu and President Trump lock hands on the plenum of Israel's parliament, during the President's visit to Israel earlier this year, in October. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/ AP
PM Netanyahu and President Trump lock hands on the plenum of Israel's parliament, during the President's visit to Israel earlier this year, in October. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/ AP
The talks are expected to focus primarily on U.S. efforts to advance to the second phase of the Trump Gaza plan, rising tensions involving Lebanon and Syria, and Israeli concerns over Iran's attempts to rebuild its missile capabilities.
The White House has not yet announced an official time for the meeting, but it is expected to take place on Monday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that Netanyahu had initiated the meeting.
Hundreds block Jerusalem light rail on anniversary of hilltop youth’s death; two arrested, police say
Two people were arrested at a protest in Jerusalem marking the fifth anniversary of the death of a settler killed in a car accident, police said.
Police said hundreds of people blocked the city's light rail line.
Ahuvia Sandak, a hilltop youth, was killed when his car overturned while fleeing from police with four friends after allegedly throwing stones at Palestinians.
Earlier, police said two officers were lightly wounded after protesters threw stones at them.
RECAP: Anti-gov't demonstrators protest Qatargate affair; Settler protesters throw stones at Jerusalem police
Here are Saturday's latest updates on Israel, Gaza and the West Bank:
■ Hamas is preparing to hold elections for a new head of the group's political bureau, sources close to its leadership told Saudi-owned Asharq Al Awsat TV.
■ Police said that protesters threw stones at a Jerusalem demonstration on the anniversary of the death of a hilltop youth who was killed in a West Bank car accident.
■ Anti-government protests took place across Israel, amid recent revelations in the Qatargate affair, which centers on allegations that staff members in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office received payments from Qatar to promote Doha's interests while working in the Prime Minister's Office during the war.
■ In Yemen, Saudi Arabia called on the Southern Transitional Council, a UAE-backed separatist group, to withdraw from territory seized earlier in December and threatened to take action.
■ The UN Security Council is expected to hold an emergency session on Monday to address Israel's recognition of Somaliland, the first and only nation thus far to recognize the political entity that independently seceded from Somalia.
■ Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organizations on suspicion of raising millions of euros in funds for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement Saturday.
■ Police and Shin Bet arrested two brothers of the assailant who carried out a stabbing and ramming attack in northern Israel on Friday.
■ Settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in two West Bank villages. Seven Palestinians and one settler were wounded.
Police: Far-right activists hurled stones at officers, blocked traffic in Jerusalem protest
Police said protesters threw stones at police and blocked traffic in Jerusalem at a demonstration gathered on the anniversary of the death of a settler activist who was killed in a car accident in the West Bank.
A demonstration was held to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Ahuvia Sandak, who was killed when his car overturned while fleeing from police with his four friends, after allegedly throwing stones at Palestinians near the settlement of Kochav Hashahar.
Sandak's death had immediately sparked protests and riots in Jerusalem, calling for a commission of inquiry into the event and the closure of the Central District Police in the West Bank, the unit tasked with investigating nationalist crimes perpetuated by hilltop youth from the settlements.
Police said that dozens of protesters participated in the demonstration at the Jerusalem city entrance, when at one point some of the protesters began to disrupt order by blocking traffic near the Chords Bridge at the entrance to the city, blocking the light rail route and throwing stones at police. It was also reported that as a result of the stone-throwing, two police officers were slightly injured.
Haifa protesters call for police to remove leader of Likud Youth Movement from anti-gov't demonstration
Gali Eshet, leader of the Haifa People's Protest, called on police to remove the Likud Youth movement leader and right-wing social media influencer Hadar Mukhtar from the anti-government demonstration for "disturbing public order."
Another speaker referred to Mukhtar as a "troll," adding that if he would "dare to approach a right-wing demonstration, I would leave with a knife in my stomach."
Mukhtar is a social media influencer known for her controversial street interviews at left-wing demonstrations and gatherings.
Likud lawmaker Moshe Saada: 'If I knew my advisor was working for Qatar, I would fire him'
Former deputy head of the Police Internal Investigations Department and Likud Knesset member Moshe Saada said that if he had known that one of his advisors was working for Qatar, he would have fired him immediately.
In an interview on Channel 12's "Meet the Press" program, Saada contradicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that "there is nothing wrong" with working with Qatar because "it is not an enemy country."
When asked whether it was legitimate for a person who works in the Prime Minister's Office to work for Qatar, he replied: "Absolutely not," adding, "It is not legitimate to work with Qatar at the same time."
Recent revelations in the Qatargate affair center on allegations that staff members in Netanyahu's office received payments from Qatar to promote Doha's interests while working in the Prime Minister's Office during the war.
A series of reports and interviews published this week appear to show how close advisers to Netanyahu manipulated journalists, including by fabricating sources, to promote Qatar's interests while Israel was at war.
Diaspora Affairs ministry hails arrests, fund seizures from Italian charities said to be 'connected to Hamas'
Following arrests linked to three charitable organizations in Italy on suspicion of raising over eight million euros ($8.6 million) in funds for Hamas, the Diaspora Affairs Ministry announced that it welcomed the arrest of nine individuals and the seizure of assets, "as part of an investigation that exposed a Hamas financing network operating in the heart of Europe under the guise of humanitarian activity," the statement said.
Protesters clash with anti-riot police at Milano Centrale train station on the sidelines of a nationwide strike organized by a union in Milan, Italy, in September. Credit: Piero Cruciatti/AFP
Protesters clash with anti-riot police at Milano Centrale train station on the sidelines of a nationwide strike organized by a union in Milan, Italy, in September. Credit: Piero Cruciatti/AFP
According to the ministry, the arrests are part of a prolonged campaign to "expose Hamas-linked activity across Europe," adding that the ministry "worked to map and highlight organizations and individuals connected to Hamas operating under civilian and humanitarian frameworks."
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli called the arrests "an important step in the fight against Hamas terrorism, which has increasingly shifted its center of gravity to Europe."
"At the same time, it exposes the depth of Hamas penetration into European societies. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs repeatedly warned about the dangerous convergence between seemingly civilian activity and terrorist infrastructure," the minister said. "I hope this arrest marks a turning point and the beginning of a determined effort to dismantle Hamas networks across Europe and the broader Western world."
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