Jerusalem, 22 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — On Monday, Israel signed a bilateral implementation agreement with Sri Lanka for the trade and services sector, which allows for the expansion of the employment of foreign workers to additional sectors, such as commerce and services.

The agreement was signed by the head of the Foreign Workers Administration, Moshe Nakash, and the chairman of the SLBFE organization, Kusala Wickramasinghe.

Jerusalem, 22 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Over the weekend, Bat Yam police detectives raided an illegal gambling complex on Ehud Kinmon Street in the city. Gambling machines and electronic equipment used for illegal gambling were found there. In addition, 33,000 shekels ($10,500) in cash was seized.

At the end of the search, detectives detained the two owners of the premises for questioning, who were suspected of operating the gambling complex illegally.

“President Christodoulides, Nikos,
Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Kyriakos,
This is not our first meeting. It’s our tenth meeting. But I said in our discussions that I think it’s the most consequential.

The last time the three of us met was a short time before the October 7th massacre, before terror once again reminded us that stability in this region is never guaranteed, and that strength, clarity and cooperation are not options. They are a must.

The Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean are being tested by aggression, terrorism and instability. 

Our partnership provides strength, clarity and cooperation that will prevail over chaos. 

It also offers new opportunities for prosperity. 

We are cooperating, and discussed in detail cooperation, in many fields: energy, technology, connectivity and also security, that guarantees this all.

We will advance IMEC, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. This is an idea that has been brought forward before, but we think we have to put it into reality. It’s a maritime, rail, pipeline, energy pipeline and cable connectivity between Asia and Europe going through Israel, Cyprus and Greece.

As part of this effort, we are advancing the great sea connector that will enable electric energy cooperation between our three countries and Europe, and the Arabian Peninsula, and ultimately you can connect it to Asia as well. So, this is a big thing, and in many ways, it’s the skeleton of the IMEC corridor. We discussed practically how to move this forward, and we intend to advance it. I’ll also discuss it in my upcoming meeting with President Trump in the United States. 

We agreed to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, in cybersecurity, advanced research.

Israel is already a global technology leader, and together with Greece and Cyprus, we will shape the region’s future in cutting-edge new technologies. 

I want to tell you that a lot is going on right now. Israeli companies, hi-tech companies are flocking to Cyprus and to Greece. It basically says that they believe in the economic management. We’re not jealous. We believe in competition. 

There are, what? 137 flights a week? 186 flights a week between Israel and Cyprus. It’s unbelievable. Just compute that. How many flights a day? 

I don’t know of many Israeli investors who have not visited Greece or who are not investing in Greece. Increasing amounts are growing there, and again, I think this is a sign of the dynamism of our economies, Israel‘s economy which has been rated third by The Economist as the most vibrant economy in the planet, third most vibrant economy in the planet. I think we were shortchanged, but that’s alright. But I believe that there is dynamism here, there is at once great opportunity but also great challenges, and we recognize them. 

We affirmed our commitment to expanding the Abraham Accords, to widening the circle of cooperation between Israel and the Arab world.

We also expressed support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and for a future in which legitimate state institutions hold authority and military power, and not terrorist militias.

We agreed today to deepen our security and defense cooperation. 

The threats we face are real.

Together, we are defending not only our own nations, but vital sea lanes and critical infrastructure that the global economy depends on.

I cannot skip the opportunity to call for the immediate return of Rani Gvili, the Israeli hostage that is still held by Hamas. This is contrary to the laws of war, and this is something that has to be completed. 

But we are, in general, fighting a battle for an orderly future of states that want to seize the future, against those forces who want to drag us back to a dark medieval past that has nothing to do with modernity, and nothing to do with progress.

Israel, Greece and Cyprus are three ancient countries with ancient peoples. 

Jerusalem and Athens are the foundations of Western civilization, and in Cyprus both cultures flourished. 

You have to go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem; or you go to the Acropolis in Athens; or you go to the incredible historic museum in Nicosia, which I did, and you see the glory of our past.

All three of us are very proud of our history in our ancestral homelands as we seize the future.

Now it is true that all of our countries were conquered in the past by a succession of empires. 

But through courage and sacrifice, we achieved our independence in modern times.

Greece -195 years ago; Israel – 78 years ago; Cyprus – 65 years ago.

To those who fantasize they can reestablish their empires and their dominion over our lands, I say: Forget it. It’s not going to happen. Don’t even think about it.

We are committed and able to defend ourselves and our cooperation further enhances that capability.

Together, we three genuine democracies in the Eastern Mediterranean shall advance security, prosperity and liberty. 

With God’s help, we will bring a brighter and safer future to our nations and to the entire region.

Together, we bring stability through strength, prosperity through strength, and most important, peace through strength.

I wish you all Happy Holidays.
Thank you”.

Video: GPO

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Dear citizens of Israel, today the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the bill to establish a special state commission of inquiry. This will be an egalitarian commission to investigate the events of October 7th and the circumstances that led to them.

We are talking about an independent commission of inquiry, with full powers, exactly as defined in the Commissions of Inquiry Law.

Contrary to what has been claimed, politicians will not be members of the commission. The composition of the commission’s members will be determined equally: Half by the coalition and half by the opposition.

The commission will be composed of experts in security, academia, and law, as well as bereaved parents who will serve as observers.

I want to clarify something here: The Government could have established a governmental board of inquiry, with a composition determined entirely by the government. But I believed that such a commission would have gained the trust of only one part of the public. By the same token, a commission of inquiry whose composition was determined exclusively by Justice Yitzhak Amit, as the opposition proposes, would have had only a small portion of the public believing in it.

The majority of the public, unequivocally, supports an egalitarian commission of inquiry, and there is a good reason for that.

An unprecedented event like October 7th requires a special commission of inquiry, a broad national commission that will be acceptable to the majority of the nation. This will be an egalitarian commission. No side will have any advantage in appointing the members of the commission.

Following the greatest disaster in our history, we are acting exactly as the United States acted after the greatest disaster in American history.

After the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11th, President Bush enacted a special law that established a special commission of inquiry. And what was that commission? An egalitarian commission between the two sides of the political aisle.

No one complained then of ‘political bias,’ and I must say that its conclusions received broad legitimacy for that very reason.

This is exactly what we are doing. If one truly wants to reach the truth, if one truly does not want to allow a cover-up, how can one oppose this?!

I say to the opposition: By all means, bring whatever experts you want, ask whatever you want, investigate whomever you want, including me.

The mandate of the commission and the boundaries of the investigation will be determined by the Government. This is not new. This is not unique. This is the practice in all commissions of inquiry of any kind. Therefore, there is nothing unique or irregular here. On the contrary, this is the accepted procedure.

And I promise you, all topics will be examined without exception – the diplomatic, the security, the intelligence, and the legal – everything.

Today, I convened a team of ministers to formulate alternatives for the scope of the investigation, and the proposal will be brought to the Government for approval. And I am convinced: a special state commission of inquiry, an egalitarian commission between opposition and coalition, is the right way to clarify the truth.”

Jerusalem, 22 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Three suspects, residents of Umm al-Fahm, were arrested with firearms en route to committing a crime. The Israel Police said they thwarted a shooting incident when they stopped a vehicle containing the suspects with a gun that was armed and ready to use.

During an operational activity carried out by Haifa police officers in the field of crime prevention, seizing weapons and means of warfare that were in the hands of criminal elements, the officers noticed a vehicle that aroused their suspicion. The officers signaled the driver to stop and during a search of the vehicle, they discovered a gun, a full magazine of bullets and additional ammunition, which, according to the suspicion, was in preparation for committing a crime in the immediate future.

Jerusalem, 22 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Netanyahu met with visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The meeting took place as part of the Israel-Greece-Cyprus political summit, which Prime Minister Netanyahu is hosting at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem. The Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of Greece first held a personal meeting, followed by an expanded meeting with the participation of the countries’ foreign ministers and other senior officials.

“We will continue to work together, consistently and with determination, to strengthen security, promote economic development, and deepen the ties between our countries and our peoples,” said Netahyahu.

Jerusalem, 22 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — In a joint enforcement operation by the Israel Police District, Israel’s National Insurance Institute, and its Population and Immigration Authority called “National Justice,” about 200 families living in Judea and Samaria were exposed who committed fraud by making false declarations in order to receive social rights/benefits reserved for residents of Israel.

During the operation, authorities worked to expose what they called a “serious fraud against the State of Israel,” in which Israeli residents whose actual lives are centered in Judea and Samaria made false statements in order to receive allowances, benefits, and social rights.

The National Insurance Institute emphasized that only residents of Israel are entitled to social rights. If it is discovered that false affidavits were submitted and those who submitted them are not residents, the rights will be denied according to the law.

The operation is expected to bring tens of millions of shekels into the state coffers, through the denial of entitlements, the return of funds, and the prevention of future fraud, along with strengthening public order and trust in state institutions.

Jerusalem, 22 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of the Interior and its Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology have joined forces for a first-of-its-kind initiative: a call for applied research in the core areas of local authorities, regional clusters and municipal corporations. The ministries said this is part of a strategic move to promote “quality local government.”

“This initiative constitutes a vital bridge between the academic world and the complex challenges facing local government, and aims to leverage advanced research knowledge into practical solutions that will improve the services provided to residents and establish data-based decision-making,” said the ministries.

The call is built around three main goals:

Promoting applied research in critical areas of local government in Israel.

Encouraging fruitful and ongoing cooperation between academic researchers and local government bodies and government ministries.

Making decision-support tools, models for development and improvement available in various public bodies, in a manner that leads to effective policies and results, and optimal public services for residents.

Out of dozens of proposals submitted, ten outstanding studies with high applied potential to bring about tangible change were selected. The ten studies selected from the many proposals submitted represent a wide range of innovative solutions that will directly impact the quality of life of residents throughout Israel.

Jerusalem, 22 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — TASE Top 10 Indices Monday, december 22, 2025

Index | Value | +/- Change in Value
TA-35 | 3,708.78 | +0.73%
TA-90 | 3,803.08 | -0.18%
TACombo – 90&Banks-5 | 3,999.09 | +0.39%
TA125 | 3,723.24 | +0.51%
Money Market | 464.91 | +0.01%
TA125-Value | 4,139.61 | +0.46%
TA Sector-Balance | 4,319.83 | +0.17%
All-Bond | 419.26 | -0.03%
Bond-CPI A | 419.95 | +0.03%
Tel-Bond 60 | 413.79 | -0.02%

Equity Turnover
(NIS Thousands) | | 3,369,834
Bonds Turnover
(NIS Thousands) | | 5,401,310

(NIS Thousands)

(NIS Thousands)