News Roundup for December 29, 2025
What If Rahm Emanuel, Not Donald Trump, Were Meeting Bibi Netanyahu Tomorrow?, Word on the Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “[A]s I listened to Rahm Emanuel’s recent appearance on Pod Save America where he shared his thoughts about Netanyahu, in his trademark blunt language, I started to wonder what it would look like for a President to channel their ‘inner Rahm’ – not to adopt all his views, but to bring his bluntness and willingness to use leverage – in a meeting with Bibi.
The Ideological Currents in the United States and Their Impact on Israel, Times of Israel
J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir writes, “Unprecedented polarization among the parties, loss of direction within them, demographic changes, the rise of social media, and above all the emergence of populism as a global phenomenon in response to globalization – of which Trumpism is the American manifestation – have reshaped the ideological landscape of the United States from the ground up.”
Zero Hour for the Middle East, New York Times
“Exhaustion can offer space to talk, especially when accompanied by a shuffling of the Middle Eastern deck so far-reaching that it seems to contain at least the possibility of changed mind-sets.”
Trump and Netanyahu Are to Meet in Florida at a Crucial Moment for the US-Backed Gaza Ceasefire, AP
“Trump could use the face-to-face at his Mar-a-Lago estate to try to leverage his strong relationship with Netanyahu and look for ways to speed up the peace process, especially as Israel’s leader has been accused of not pushing his side to move fast enough.”
Iran Sends Conflicting Signals on Its Missiles as Israeli Concerns Rise, Washington Post
“Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s ballistic missiles capability during their war in June, but Israeli officials have recently expressed concerns that Tehran is reconstituting its capability and that it poses a growing threat to Israel.”
Without an Interior Minister, Israel Leaves Palestinian Humanitarian Status Requests in Limbo, Haaretz
“The Population Authority declined to respond to an inquiry by Haaretz regarding the number of pending applications for permanent residency, including how many recommendations are currently sitting on the Interior Minister’s desk.”
2025 Saw Sharp Drop in Immigration to Israel Even as Arrivals From Western Nations Surged, Times of Israel
“Some 21,900 new immigrants moved to Israel in 2025, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry said Monday, a steep drop of about one third from last year’s numbers as arrivals from Russia dried up.”
A Note to Trump: Netanyahu Will Delay, Delay, Delay, Haaretz
Haaretz Editorial writes, “If Trump is determined to advance his vision of peace, he must show the same resolution in the face of another Israeli policy that is no less dangerous – Netanyahu’s policy of stagnation.”
In the Battle Against Antisemitism We Must Accept That Zionism Means Different Things to Different People, The Guardian
David Slucki writes, “Zionism is a Jewish national movement that sought to create a Jewish state, then to secure and sustain it. But ‘Zionism’ is also a contested label: for many Jews it signifies safety, continuity and belonging; for Palestinians – and for many others – it denotes dispossession and ongoing domination.”
