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Tuesday, December 23, 2025

12/23 Links Pt2: How the ICC Invented a Non-Existent State to Persecute Israel; When the Blood Libel Came to America; UN yearly spends $100 million target Israel

From Ian:

On October 7, Approximately 46% of those reached were killed, kidnapped, or injured.
Public discussion of October 7 almost always begins with an immediate and rehearsed response: “But Gaza.” The implication is that comparing it settles moral and analytical questions — that a higher death toll retroactively shrinks the meaning of what came before it. It is a comparison that quietly neutralizes the event before it is examined: “1,200 Israelis killed versus tens of thousands of Palestinians dead in Gaza.” Framed this way, the attack is made to appear numerically small, even marginal, especially when set against the war that followed.

The number sounds small only when the denominator is inflated to include millions of people who were never attacked. It sounds small only when a one-day mass assault is compared to casualties accumulated over months of war, stripped of context, intent, and time scale. And it sounds small only when the participation of multiple armed groups and civilians who crossed the border to loot, burn, abduct, and kill is quietly erased.

But Palestinian terror groups did not attack Israel as an abstract whole. They invaded Israel, were eventually stopped, and were only able to attack the places they physically reached. Any serious attempt to understand the scale of October 7 has to measure it against the population that was actually exposed to the violence — not against an entire country that was never breached.

October 7 was not limited by restraint. It was limited by geography — by fences, distance, and time. Where attackers succeeded in entering civilian spaces, the result was devastating and systematic.

In one morning, Hamas and accompanying other Palestinian terror groups and civilian attackers:

Killed or abducted roughly 1 in 10 of the people they physically reached

And when the injured are included, destroyed the lives of nearly half of everyone they reached — through killing, kidnapping, or injury.

In some communities, such as Nir Oz, the impact was far more extreme, with close to one in four residents killed or taken hostage, before the injured are even counted.

This was not collateral damage.
This was not urban warfare.
It was population-level annihilation wherever access existed, limited only by geography and time.
When the Blood Libel Came to America
In recent weeks, notable figures on the right have tried to either mainstream anti-Semitism or look away. Many conservatives and Christians find themselves put to the test, no longer able to ignore the problem metastasizing before them. Nearly a century ago, in a small upstate New York factory town, Americans faced a similar test—and passed. That story is worth revisiting today.

On Saturday, September 22, 1928, four-year-old Barbara Griffiths disappeared in Massena, New York, a rural factory town along the St. Lawrence River, which divides America and Canada. Frantic search parties of police, firefighters, and townspeople scoured the woods, fields, and streets, peering through storefront windows looking for Barbara.

As day gave way to night, fear gave way to speculation and scapegoating when one Massena resident told law enforcement that Jews were rumored to kidnap and ritually sacrifice children in the region that the resident had immigrated from. The blood libel, an ancient pagan and Christian pretext for violence against Jews, had come to America.

The blood libel, the charge that Jews kidnap, kill, and eat non-Jews, was first documented in the first century. The charge of ritual cannibalism was also made against early Christians. The blood libel resurfaced in the Middle Ages and has since been used as a pretext for Jewish persecution. The week Barbara disappeared, a New York Times headline noted “Anti-Jewish Agitation” in Europe over “Ritual Murder Rumors.”
Jonathan Sacerdoti: Iran’s has a ceaseless obsession with Israel
Iran’s conduct strips away any illusion about priorities. Even amid water shortages, electricity failures and economic contraction, the regime has channelled vast resources into instruments of attack. Mohammad Javad Zarif’s recent acknowledgement on Al Jazeera that roughly $500 billion was spent on the nuclear programme was striking precisely because it carried no regret. The expenditure was framed as ideological defiance. The moral judgement, drawn by others, contrasts that figure with empty reservoirs and decaying infrastructure. The choice was deliberate.

In Tehran’s Palestine Square, a digital clock counts down to the envisioned destruction of the State of Israel. The symbol is grotesque, yet clarifying. While Israel has invested relentlessly in shelters, early warning systems and civilian resilience, Iran has provided its population with little protection from the wars it seeks. Iranian friends of mine abroad speak quietly of families without shelters, without warning systems, without any sense of personal safety.

Israel harbours no reciprocal obsession. During the war, it possessed the capacity to push further, to pursue regime change directly. It chose restraint. Its focus remains survival and protection rather than ideological conquest. Even under fire, its economy functioned. Its society absorbed shock without collapse. That resilience frustrates Tehran, which speaks openly of breaking morale and dismantling prosperity. The effort has failed, so far.

The wider world should observe this regime with the same clarity Israel is forced to apply. Iran’s leadership is so consumed by the project of destroying Israel that it accepts, even embraces, the sacrifice of its own people as collateral. Chronic water shortages, failing infrastructure, economic exhaustion and the absence of basic civilian protection are not unintended consequences but tolerated costs. The clock in Palestine Square, counting down to 2040, makes this plain. It is not a threat of imminence but a declaration of endurance, a statement that the campaign is generational rather than tactical.

That obsession does not stop at Israel’s borders. Across Europe, including in the United Kingdom, Iranian regime institutions, networks and operatives continue to function openly or semi-openly, engaged in intimidation, subversion and preparation. From European capitals to Latin America, including Venezuela, the Islamic Republic has built a lattice of influence dedicated to disruption, coercion and violence abroad. Israel stands on the front line of this project, but it is not its final destination.

The clock continues to tick. One can only hope that the regime which built its future around such a promise is gone long before it reaches zero.


How the ICC Invented a Non-Existent State to Persecute Israel
On Nov. 17, 2025, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 in support of President Trump's "Gaza peace plan." When addressing the future of Gaza, the resolution stated: "After the PA reform program is faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood."

Thus, according to the resolution, only once certain conditions are fulfilled will there potentially be a possibility to consider Palestinian statehood. In other words, the position of the Security Council was that no "State of Palestine" already existed. Any honest observer knows that no "State of Palestine" actually exists. For such a state to exist, it would need to meet internationally agreed criteria, which the fictional "State of Palestine" has never met.

Yet in 2014, the UN Secretary-General accepted the request of the "State of Palestine" to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued repeated decisions regarding the "Situation in Palestine." While the UN Security Council is the body that controls the procedure through which new states are recognized, the ICC operates under the fallacy that such a fictional state exists, one that could then delegate its non-existent jurisdiction to the ICC in order to persecute and delegitimize Israel.
Belgium joins South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at ICJ
Belgium joins South Africa in a case brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The UN’s highest court, based in The Hague, says in a statement that Brussels has filed a declaration of intervention.

Several countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, Spain and Turkey have already joined the case.

In December 2023, South Africa brought a case to the United Nations’ highest court in The Hague, alleging Israel’s Gaza offensive breached the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Israel denies the accusation and has criticized the proceedings.


Sen. Lindsey Graham: Hamas Must Be Given Deadline to Disarm or Face Renewed War
Hamas must be given a deadline for relinquishing its weapons, after which Israel will have a green light to return to combat operations across Gaza, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told the Times of Israel on Sunday. "Put them on the clock. If they don't disarm in a credible way, then unleash Israel on 'em." The second phase of President Trump's plan for Gaza demands that Hamas disarm and the Strip be demilitarized. But Hamas's leaders have said consistently that they won't give up all their weapons, and never signed on to the second phase of the plan.

The envisioned multi-national International Stabilization Force for Gaza has no chance of success until "Hamas has been disarmed," said Graham. "There's no international stabilizing force that's going to come in here and fight."

"My advice to the President [Trump] is until Hamas is dealt out of the game militarily and politically, the chance of success is pretty remote," Graham said. "These people are religious zealots. They're religious Nazis. I have no confidence, short of their demise, that they're ever going to do anything other than what they promised to do. Did they stop wanting to destroy Israel? Did they change their stated goals? No."

Regarding Iran, Graham said that if Iran is indeed trying to enrich uranium again and to expand their ballistic missile program, "it'd be in our national interest to hit them now."

Graham urged the U.S. to join in on any potential attack on Hizbullah: "I would like the United States to participate in military operations, in the aerial side, against Hizbullah, if that's what it takes to knock them out. I want our fingerprints on that. Let me tell you why: We had a lot of brave young Marines die at the hands of these bastards and we have a very long memory."

In October 1983, 241 U.S. military personnel - including 220 Marines - died in a Hizbullah truck bombing of a U.S. Marines barracks in Lebanon. Less than a year later, Hizbullah bombed the American embassy in Beirut, killing 23 people.

The U.S. and Israel "have common enemies and common values, democracy, and [Israel is] surrounded by a bunch of people that would kill us if they could get to us....Whatever we do to help Israel is a great investment....It's in America's interest to have a strong, vibrant Israel. Anything less would put us at risk. I think that's not going to change anytime soon."
UN spends approximately $100 million in funding to target Israel yearly, new report shows
The United Nations spends roughly $100 million per year on reports, debates, special mechanisms, and communication activities dedicated almost exclusively to singling out Israel, the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN said.

“Today we actually showed that these are orchestrated campaigns, well-funded and well-established within the UN budget,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said. “These $100 million, which will be approved in the coming days in the new UN budget, are spent on activities against the government of Israel and against the IDF."

"Sometimes they do it directly, such as through committees that address Palestinian issues. Many times it is disguised under different names and organizations, but the actual activities are pure propaganda against the State of Israel.”

The analysis, conducted by the Israeli Permanent Mission to the UN and International Organizations, identifies UN bodies such as the Division for Palestinian Rights and multiple General Assembly committees whose sole purpose is to promote the Palestinian cause.

Dozens of debates and at least 100 reports are produced annually on Israel and the Palestinians, many of them repetitive, politically driven, and one-sided. Each report costs tens of thousands of dollars to produce and translate; debates cost thousands more.

Together, this amounts to millions of dollars annually, even before accounting for travel and staffing.

At the center of this system, as described by the Israeli mission to the UN, is UNRWA, whose yearly budget request is approximately $86 million.

Each year, roughly $80 million from the UN’s routine budget is allocated to the agency, with about 60% of the funds designated for international staff salaries.

Even as other UN bodies face budgetary reforms, UNRWA remains mostly exempt.

Despite revelations of Hamas infiltration into the agency and widespread concerns over neutrality, UNRWA continues to receive preferential treatment, additional funding requests, and political protection.

“We are always trying,” Danon said in answer to The Jerusalem Post’s query as to whether Israel is attempting to shed light on the bodies that receive UN funding. “But unfortunately, most countries tend to ignore it. And even though we exposed this, the UN will continue to fund these activities.”


From Gaza to Ankara: How a Hamas-Linked Photographer Became a State Endorsed Witness Against Israel
For years, international audiences have been exposed to a relentless stream of imagery from Gaza portraying alleged famine, devastation, and civilian despair. These photographs, widely disseminated by global wire services, significantly influenced public perception and informed diplomatic rhetoric, legal filings, and international opinion. They were presented as unfiltered documentation of reality.

In late December 2025, that imagery received explicit political elevation. During a public ceremony in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoฤŸan formally praised Gaza-based photographer Ali Jadallah, describing his work as proof of genocide and citing his photographs as evidentiary material in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In that moment, Gaza imagery was no longer simply circulating through news agencies. It was being formally validated, weaponized, and institutionalized at the level of state power.

Understanding how this occurred, and who enabled it, requires examining the photographer, the agency that employs him, the political authority that elevated him, and the media ecosystem that normalized his work without scrutiny.

The ErdoฤŸan-Anadolu Moment
In his address, President ErdoฤŸan introduced Ali Jadallah as a photojournalist for Anadolu Agency and praised his work documenting what he described as Israel’s “wild genocide” in Gaza. ErdoฤŸan explicitly stated that Jadallah’s photographs constituted proof in the genocide case brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, framing the images not as journalistic output but as legal and moral evidence.

ErdoฤŸan further placed Jadallah within a heroic narrative of resistance, lauding journalists allegedly silenced for exposing atrocities and emphasizing Turkey’s commitment to stand with Gaza across political, cultural, and legal arenas.

This was not a neutral commendation. It was a head of state explicitly endorsing the work of a Gaza-based photographer as juridical evidence, while that photographer was employed by Anadolu Agency, the Turkish government’s state-run news organization, operating inside Hamas-controlled territory.


IDF kills three Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon
Israeli forces on Monday eliminated three Hezbollah operatives involved in advancing attacks against troops and in reestablishing terrorist infrastructure in the Sidon area of Southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.

An initial review found that one of the terrorists killed in the strike also served in a Lebanese intelligence unit.

The strike also killed two other operatives, including one involved in Hezbollah’s aerial defense network.

“The IDF emphasizes that it operates against terrorists in the Hezbollah terrorist organization who operate to reestablish terrorist infrastructure, which constitutes a serious violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” added the statement.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday that Hezbollah terrorists south of the Litani River would soon be disarmed, a key requirement of Beirut’s ceasefire with Israel.​

“Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” according to a statement from Salam’s office.​

“The state is ready to move on to the second phase, namely confiscating weapons north of the Litani River, based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to a mandate from the government,” Salam added.​

Yisrael Beiteinu Party chief Avigdor Liberman dismissed the statement on Monday. “This is simply nonsense, just fiction. [We’re] not even close to dismantling Hezbollah’s arsenal, not even in Southern Lebanon,” he told JNS.


Lebanese ex-officer connected to Ron Arad reported missing, believed 'kidnapped' by Israel
Retired Lebanese General Security Captain Ahmad Shukr, who is suspected of being involved in the disappearance of IAF officer Ron Arad, is believed by Lebanon to have been kidnapped by Israel, Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Tuesday, citing a prominent Lebanese judicial source.

Shukr was reported as missing a week ago following an alleged "intelligence-based entrapment operation," according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) declined to respond when The Jerusalem Post reached out for comment, referring the issue to the IDF. The Mossad declined to respond as well, but notably did not deny.

Missing for 39 years
Arad was captured on October 16, 1986, after a bomb his plane dropped caused damage to the aircraft, forcing him and the plane’s pilot to bail out. The pilot was saved, but Arad was taken by the Lebanese Shi’ite group Amal and later transferred to Iranian forces.

Arad sent three letters from captivity, and two photos of him were released. Israel lost track of Arad in 1988.


AFT Massachusetts Directs Union Funds to Radical Anti-Israel Groups, Investigation Reveals
A newly published investigation by the NAVI K-12 Extremism Tracker documents that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)-Massachusetts has donated at least $145,000 since 2021 to Resist Inc., a Boston-based activist funding organization, and the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance (MEJA), which operates under Resist Inc.’s fiscal sponsorship.

According to the investigation, Resist Inc. has provided funding to groups involved in anti-Israel demonstrations. These include groups that have expressed support for Palestinian terrorism, such as National Students for Justice in Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and Within Our Lifetime, raising questions about how teacher union dues are allocated and whether members are adequately informed about the downstream political activities their contributions support. A November 2023 Instagram post from Resist Inc. announcing the redistribution of over $30,000 to 11 grassroots organizations "organizing in solidarity with and for the liberation of Palestine.” Credit: Call to Resist on Instagram

Financial Trail Reveals Multi-Year Funding Pattern
According to financial records cited in the report, AFT-Massachusetts contributed $50,000 to Resist Inc. in both 2021 and 2023, followed by an additional $20,000 in 2024. The union also provided $25,000 to MEJA for political activities and lobbying in 2024, according to AFT-Massachusetts’s federal labor filing. The national AFT headquarters has separately donated over $100,000 to the Boston Education Justice Alliance, another MEJA member organization, between 2019 and 2023.

The controversy centers on Resist Inc.’s grant-making activities. The organization, which was founded in the late 1960s by academics including Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn to support anti-Vietnam War activism, has evolved into a broader progressive funding vehicle. Resist describes its mission as challenging “white supremacy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, capitalism and Christian hegemony,” with its “Theory of Change” asserting that traditional philanthropic organizations “replicate the logic of oppressive systems.”

According to its website, Resist has distributed more than $12 million to over 6,000 organizations throughout its history, raising questions about whether rank-and-file teachers who pay union dues are aware their contributions are supporting organizations led by individuals making such statements and funding groups involved in aggressive activism, occasionally even crossing the line into violence. Union Leaders Sat on Board of Organization They Funded

MEJA outlines its mission on its website as focused on elevating student and parent voices on racial equity issues in public education. The organization works closely with both the American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Teachers Association, a larger union affiliated with the National Education Association. The organization works closely with both the AFT-Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), a larger union affiliated with the National Education Association.


Palestinian extremists suspected of torching Christmas tree outside Jenin church
A Christmas tree and nativity scene were burned down in a pre-dawn attack on Monday outside the Holy Redeemer Church in the Palestinian city of Jenin, according to the Latin Catholic church.

In a social media post, the pastor of the church, Father Amer Jubran, condemned the 3:00 a.m. arson attack as a “shameful and reprehensible act perpetrated by outlaws” which, he said, did not reflect Muslim-Christian relations among Palestinians.

“Such isolated acts do not reflect the values and morals of the people of Jenin, and do not undermine the city’s deeply rooted national and human unity,” he wrote.

Church leaders met with Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub and other Palestinian Authority officials following the attack.

No arrests or injuries were reported.


Police to probe teen who blew out Hanukkah candles in Tel Aviv mall
The State Prosecution has authorized police to investigate a teenage girl for blowing out Hanukkah candles in a Tel Aviv mall, the Israel Police said Monday.

The announcement came as a rights group reportedly challenged the legality of the police probe, claiming it was opened without the necessary prior approval of prosecutors due to the religious aspects of the alleged offense.

Police said the suspect, 17, and a 19-year-old relative who was with her during the incident were called in for questioning. The pair, Arab Israeli residents of the Wadi Ara area, were then released under restrictive conditions.

They are being investigated for offending religious sensitivities. Police said the investigation was ongoing.

The incident occurred on Friday at Weizmann Mall, part of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), where a large menorah was set up in a roped-off area.

The woman was seen on CCTV blowing out the candles to the applause of her companion before walking away. She then returned to blow out the final flame, filming herself doing so on her cellphone.

Police said on Saturday that they had opened an investigation.

Associates of the girl said she claims she put out the candles because she thought someone had forgotten about them, the Haaretz news outlet reported Monday.

The girl reportedly claimed she was not familiar with the Hanukkah festival and did not realize that the candles were part of a religious ceremony.


Hezbollah, Short on Support From Iran, Turns to Drug Trafficking in Venezuela To Fill Its Coffers
Hezbollah terrorists are flocking to Venezuela as the terror group—and Iran's most important proxy—increasingly turns to drug trafficking as a way to raise revenue in the aftermath of Israel's successful campaigns against the Islamic Republic and its "Axis of Resistance," sources familiar with Hezbollah's operations told the Washington Free Beacon.

As former assistant secretary for terrorist financing at the Treasury Department Marshall Billingslea told a Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing in October, more than 400 Hezbollah field commanders received direction "to evacuate to Latin America, and Venezuela is specifically identified." These commanders joined nearly 11,000 other Hezbollah-tied operatives who landed in Venezuela between 2010 and 2019.

While the Iran-backed terror group has long taken advantage of the Venezuelan regime's hospitality, the increased focus on drug trafficking suggests that it is scrambling to find sources of funding outside the Islamic Republic. Iran has provided upwards of $700 million to Hezbollah each year—or about 70 percent of the terror group's annual budget—but is no longer contributing enough to keep its proxy afloat, the sources familiar with Hezbollah's presence in Latin America said.

Because of the 12-day war, the Trump administration's sanctions snapback, and energy and water crises that have persisted in Iran for months, the Islamic Republic "is reportedly unable to foot the bill for Hezbollah's reconstruction efforts as it did after Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel," according to Matthew Leavitt, a former Treasury Department terrorism finance analyst who now serves as a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Hezbollah has, in turn, leaned on the drug trade.


France launches probe over video of man seen harassing Jewish boy at Paris airport
France has launched a probe after a video emerged of a man harassing and humiliating a young Jewish child at a Paris airport, demanding that he “free Palestine” and “dance,” a judicial source said Tuesday.

The Paris police chief, Patrice Faure, expressed his “outrage at these unacceptable and intolerable remarks.”

“They will not go unpunished,” he said on X.

He said an investigation was “underway to identify the individual and bring him to justice.”

“We express our support for our Jewish compatriots and assure them of our full commitment to combating antisemitic acts,” Faure said in a post showing an image from the video of the incident.

An investigation into violence committed on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality or religion has been launched, the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office told AFP without providing any details of the incident.

On Sunday, The SwordOfSalomon account posted footage of the incident on X which has been viewed more than 440,000 times, claiming that it was filmed at the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport on June 25.
Louisiana man with ties to pro-Palestinian extremist group arrested for threats against ICE officers
Micah James Legnon, 28, of New Iberia, La., was arrested on Dec. 13 on a criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Louisiana charging him with threatening Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Dec. 19.

According to the department, Legnon, also known as “Dark Witch” and “Kateri the Witch,” is affiliated with the Turtle Island Liberation Front, a pro-Palestinian, anti-government and anti-capitalist extremist group.

According to court documents, Legnon participated in a TILF-affiliated chat called “Order of the Black Lotus,” where he discussed “teaching other TILF members urban warfare” and posted threatening messages about ICE officers both in the chat and on social media.

“The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect the American people and those who wear the badge to protect our communities,” FBI director Kash Patel said.

Legnon, who the department said has a military background, was under FBI surveillance due to his affiliation with TILF members plotting coordinated IED bombing attacks in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve, who were arrested on Dec. 12.

The same day, agents observed Legnon leaving his residence with what appeared to be an assault rifle and body armor. He was stopped by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, which recovered an assault rifle, a pistol, a gas canister and body armor from his vehicle.

A subsequent search of his residence uncovered sniper and SWAT training manuals, assault rifles and ammunition, prosecutors said. The investigation remains ongoing.


Israeli tech rebounds with $15.6 billion in funding
Israeli technology companies raised $15.6 billion in private funding across 717 deals in 2025, marking a rebound after two years of decline but representing the lowest deal count in a decade, according to early data from Startup Nation Central released on Monday.

The median deal size hit a record $10 million, up 67% year-over-year, as investors concentrated capital in fewer, larger investments. Mega-rounds captured approximately 50% of total funding, signaling a shift toward backing more mature companies.

Mergers and acquisitions reached $74.3 billion across 150 transactions, driven by Google’s $32 billion acquisition of Wiz and Palo Alto Networks’ $25 billion purchase of CyberArk. Excluding those deals, mergers and acquisitions value still rose 12% from 2024.

Cybersecurity led sector performance with $4.1 billion raised at a $20 million median deal size, while Business Software captured $4.5 billion. Health Tech recorded the highest deal volume with 152 rounds.

Public market funding totaled $10.3 billion, including major U.S. listings from Navan, eToro and Via.
Tech investments take off by 45% as war recedes from view, reports find
Investment in Israeli startups and tech firms spiked sharply toward the end of the year, fueled by major funding injections into cyber and AI startups, according to a report published Monday, marking the strongest quarterly results for Israeli tech since the first three months of 2022.

Preliminary data compiled by research center IVC and LeumiTech, a Bank Leumi arm that specializes in tech companies, showed that Israeli tech startups raised $3.43 billion in capital from investors from October through mid-December across 94 funding rounds.

The investment totals were 45 percent higher than those over the previous three months, when the war in Gaza was still in full swing, dampening investors’ appetite to sink money into Israel-based firms.

A US-brokered ceasefire entered into effect in Gaza on October 10, halting two years of war that began with a devastating Hamas-led attack on Israel two years earlier.

The volume of capital raised in the last quarter of the year was up 37 percent from the fourth quarter of 2024, a period that saw Israel at war with Hamas in Gaza and embroiled in intense fighting against the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon and in heightened hostilities with Iran.

“The past year reflects the strength and continued growth of Israeli tech, despite a prolonged period of uncertainty and upheaval in the local and global arena,” said LeumiTech CEO Maya Eisen-Zafrir.
ServiceNow to buy Israeli cybersecurity startup Armis for $7.75 billion
ServiceNow has agreed to acquire Israeli cybersecurity startup Armis for $7.75 billion in cash, the companies said on Tuesday, as the enterprise software maker seeks to attract new customers amid growing cyberattack risks.

The company is aiming to integrate Armis' security features, such as device scanning, threat detection, and vulnerability prioritization, to its AI-powered platform, a crucial advantage amid increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks that have hit companies ranging from Microsoft to UnitedHealth Group.

Santa Clara, California-based ServiceNow's shares fell about 2% in premarket trading.

ServiceNow shares slumped nearly 12% on December 15 after Bloomberg News reported about the potential Armis deal over the weekend. The selloff wiped off around $20 billion from the company's market value, a sign that investors scrutinized the hefty spending goals of smaller cloud players.

In recent months, ServiceNow has made significant acquisitions of the security firm Veza, the AI company Moveworks, and the sales automation platform Logik.ai (formerly Logik.io) to expand its customer relationship management footprint and accelerate sales, order management, AI, and security capabilities.






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