Mediators working on the Gaza ceasefire have forwarded to Israel a draft proposal outlining the creation of a technocratic authority that would be responsible for governing the Gaza Strip, according to sources cited by Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath.
The sources indicated that the United States is holding intensive discussions with the mediators ahead of what is expected to be a near-term announcement on establishing an international force tied to the ceasefire framework. They added that an upcoming meeting in Florida between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to play a key role in shaping decisions related to the second phase of the Gaza agreement.
Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that Turkey expects the second stage of the ceasefire to begin in early 2026. His comments came after talks held earlier in the week in Miami with officials from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.
At a press conference in Damascus, Fidan explained that the discussions centered on barriers that have so far prevented the agreement from moving forward to its next phase.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of State rejected claims that Washington had agreed to provide $60 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction. In a statement, the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs said reports published by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times were incorrect, emphasizing that a plan attributed to President Trump does not include any such funding commitment.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli police confirmed that an investigation remains underway after a disturbing incident at a Tel Aviv shopping mall in which Chanukah neiros were deliberately put out, prompting allegations of an offense against religious sensitivities.
After being questioned by authorities, the two suspects were released subject to restrictive conditions. Law enforcement officials said they are continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding the act and are working to determine what motivated it.
הרב טל גומברג, שליח חב"ד באיכילוב, הדליק את הנרות ביד אוהבת –
החצופה כיבתה!
מזעזע!!
קניון וייצמן סיטי צמוד לאיכילוב היום pic.twitter.com/nMU9RvTDHz
— שרי רוט (Sari Rot) (@sari_rot) December 18, 2025
The case centers on a video that circulated on Instagram, showing a teenage girl walking through the mall alongside a relative. The footage captures her deliberately approaching a lit menorah and blowing out its candles, while the young man accompanying her appears to clap in approval.
Following the circulation of the video, police launched a formal inquiry and summoned both individuals for questioning. The girl involved in the act is 17 years old, while the accompanying family member is 19.
{Matzav.com}In an INSS interview, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Washington’s objectives in Gaza remain aligned with Israel’s, emphasizing that Hamas cannot retain power or weapons if reconstruction is to move forward. Referencing President Donald Trump’s peace framework, he argued that rebuilding is incompatible with Hamas’ continued control. “If you don’t get rid of Hamas, then how are you going to rebuild?” he asked, adding that delays only give the terror group time to regroup.
He said President Trump has been clear that Hamas “will have no future in Gaza” and must disarm and release all hostages, warning that hesitation strengthens the organization rather than weakening it.
Speaking separately about Israel’s northern arena, Huckabee said he believes an arrangement with Syria is achievable, though he avoided offering specifics. He said Damascus understands that long-term stability depends on peaceful relations with Israel and borders that prevent future attacks.
On Lebanon, the ambassador acknowledged that the Lebanese Armed Forces currently lack the strength to confront Hezbollah on their own. He said Israel cannot step back while Hezbollah continues to receive Iranian backing, but expressed hope that responsibility can gradually shift as Lebanese state institutions become stronger.
Turning to military cooperation, Huckabee reiterated that the United States remains committed by law to preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge. He said Washington hopes to make early progress on renewing the next 10-year Memorandum of Understanding and highlighted the mutual benefits of defense cooperation, noting Israel’s operational use of advanced American systems.
In a broader discussion with the Institute for National Security Studies, Huckabee said Iran continues to pose a central national security challenge, stressing that President Trump has left no ambiguity about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Asked about potential Israeli military action if Iran crosses nuclear or ballistic missile thresholds, he said such decisions rest with the White House, but pointed to the president’s repeated public stance. “He consistently has said Iran is never going to enrich uranium and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Huckabee said, noting that the position has not shifted since the recent conflict.
Huckabee warned that Iran’s efforts to rebuild its nuclear infrastructure threaten far more than Israel or the United States. He suggested Tehran may only recently have begun to take US warnings seriously. “Iran, I don’t know that they ever took him seriously until the night that the B-2 bombers went to Fordow,” he said. “I hope they got the message, but apparently they didn’t get the full message because … they appear to be trying to reconstitute and find a new way to dig the hole deeper, secure it more.”
He said the danger extends well beyond the Middle East. “This presents a real threat to all of Europe,” Huckabee said, arguing that failing to recognize that reality reflects a profound misunderstanding. He added that Iran has openly threatened Israel and the United States for decades, describing Israel as “the appetizer,” while its ultimate target remains America.
The ambassador also addressed the surge in antisemitism worldwide, pointing to attacks on Jewish communities and growing concerns inside the United States. He cited President Trump’s decision to appoint a special envoy to combat antisemitism as a signal of priorities. “It shows to some degree how much President Trump is trying to make this a priority,” Huckabee said.
Referring to anti-Israel chants heard on college campuses, Huckabee warned that many demonstrators do not grasp the meaning of the slogans they repeat. He said calls of “from the river to the sea” amount to advocating Israel’s destruction, including Judea and Samaria and the rest of the country.
Addressing the erosion of bipartisan support for Israel, Huckabee voiced concern about generational shifts, particularly among younger Americans. He attributed much of the change to social media, which he described as a major source of misinformation. “We have not downloaded the proper data, the correct, the true data into the minds of younger people,” he said.
{Matzav.com}[COMMUNICATED]
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CLICK HERE TO ENTER MEGA JACKPOT! CLICK HERE TO ENTER MEGA JACKPOT!Vice President JD Vance used a recent conversation with UnHerd to lay out firm boundaries on race and religion in American politics, insisting that equal treatment under the law must remain nonnegotiable while warning that unchecked immigration can strain a shared national culture.
He dismissed arguments on the right calling for different legal standards based on ancestry, stressing that citizenship must confer the same rights and protections to everyone. At the same time, he said cultural continuity matters and acknowledged that overwhelming levels of immigration can test social cohesion.
Turning to racism more broadly, Vance said attention should be directed at what government actually enacts rather than focusing exclusively on incendiary online voices. He argued that while extremists may generate noise, policies backed by institutions and bureaucracy have real-world consequences, particularly when they explicitly discriminate.
Vance also said the prominence of figures like Nick Fuentes is often overstated by political actors who prefer to police speech on the right instead of engaging substantive debates within the Republican Party, including disputes over U.S. policy in the Middle East and America’s relationship with Israel. In his view, provocative rhetoric becomes a convenient diversion from harder conversations.
In that context, the vice president offered a clear denunciation of bigotry, saying, “Antisemitism and all forms of ethnic hatred have no place in the conservative movement.” He added that attacking people because of their race or religion is “disgusting.”
The interview also included an unambiguous personal line in the sand. Responding to attacks on his family, Vance directed a blunt message at critics across the political spectrum, stating, “Anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat [garbage].” He added, “That’s my official policy as vice president of the United States.”
Fuentes, a white supremacist and Holocaust denier, has repeatedly targeted second lady Usha Vance with slurs and has labeled the vice president a “race traitor” because of his marriage.
Vance also addressed controversies surrounding conservative media figures, offering a forceful defense of Tucker Carlson. Speaking Friday, he said Carlson remains “a friend” and criticized what he called efforts to enforce ideological purity by declaring certain views out of bounds simply because they challenge long-standing bipartisan assumptions on foreign policy.
While conceding that disagreements exist, Vance said he will not “throw friends under the bus” to appease establishment figures. He framed the broader moment as one in which America’s political leadership ignored economic and cultural pressures for years and now expresses surprise when divisions deepen.
Throughout the discussion, the vice president rejected racial politics outright, arguing that if racism is wrong, public scrutiny should focus on laws and institutional practices rather than on who happens to be shouting the loudest online.
{Matzav.com}
StopAntisemitism announced that podcaster Tucker Carlson has been selected as its “Antisemite of the Year,” a label the Jewish civil rights organization said followed an internal vote that passed by a wide margin.
According to the group, the designation reflects what it views as Carlson’s repeated use of his platform to spotlight individuals it characterizes as antisemitic extremists. The organization said this recognition is meant as a condemnation, not an accolade, describing it as a “distinct dishonor” reserved for those it considers especially bigoted.
Liora Rez, the group’s founder and executive director, said in an interview that Carlson has conducted what she called “glowing interviews” with people who deny the Holocaust or espouse antisemitic views, thereby offering them significant exposure.
In explaining its decision, StopAntisemitism released a video statement saying, “Carlson has built a reputation for giving a platform to dangerous ideas, allowing guests to spread falsehoods and antisemitic narratives.” The group added, “He is obsessed with Israel, and repeats blatant lies about the Jewish state and its people.”
Carlson was chosen over two other finalists, mixed martial arts fighter Bryce Mitchell and conspiracy theorist Stew Peters. The organization also said that children’s podcaster Ms. Rachel and actress Cynthia Nixon appeared among its top ten vote-getters.
The announcement follows earlier criticism of Carlson by the group. In October, StopAntisemitism named him its “Antisemite of the Week,” a step that preceded his inclusion on the year-end list.
The group’s latest action also comes amid continued backlash over an interview Carlson conducted in October with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Fuentes has promoted conspiracy theories alleging Jewish control of politics, media, and finance, denied the Holocaust, and advocated what he described as a “holy war” against Jews.
During that conversation, Fuentes told Carlson that he admired Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, whose regime implemented policies that discriminated against Jews. In the same interview, Carlson criticized “Christian Zionists” who support Israel, saying they had been “seized by this brain virus,” and he singled out former President George W. Bush, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
StopAntisemitism has also accused Carlson of helping normalize antisemitic ideas by amplifying the “great replacement” conspiracy theory and by directing rhetoric at pro-Israel Jewish conservatives that the group says echoes the “dual loyalty” trope.
Rez said that influential figures with large audiences can contribute to an atmosphere in which harassment and threats against Jews become more prevalent, even if they stop short of making explicitly antisemitic statements themselves.
In previous years, the organization has applied the same designation to other public figures, including the rapper Ye, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Last year, Candace Owens was named “Antisemite of the Year.”
Carlson has not publicly responded to the announcement.
{Matzav.com}
