Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Ministry of Tourism held a meeting of CEOs from industry and announced the establishment of a tourism innovation community in the field of artificial intelligence in Israel.

The meeting, which dealt with the topic of “Artificial Intelligence as a Growth Engine for Israeli Tourism,” was intended to generate a brainstorming session that would lead to finding ways to mobilize technology and artificial intelligence to restore tourism to Israel and integrate them into the management of tourism businesses.

It was attended by CEOs and senior figures in the tourism industry and the worlds of artificial intelligence. During the meeting, the Ministry’s CEO, Michael Itzhakov, presented the steps that the Ministry is currently promoting in the field: establishing a dedicated innovation community that will bring together leading players from the private market, academia, and technology; formulating a national policy document for the use of AI in tourism and accelerating the use of technological tools within the Ministry’s service system. In addition, a “Talking Tourism” project was presented that will allow tourists to scan a barcode at key sites and watch AI-based videos that talk about the place.

The Ministry of Tourism said it sees innovation and the use of artificial intelligence as “significant growth engines for restoring the industry, improving the tourist experience, strengthening local tourism businesses, and establishing Israel’s position as a relevant, intriguing, and leading destination in the international arena.”

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in florida Monday afternoon with us secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio said they discussed regional security, energy cooperation, and “our shared commitment to combatting antisemitism.”

Rubio added that he “also emphasized the importance of our continued partnership to promote peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety and Israel Railways are completing what they called another “significant milestone in the railway electrification revolution” and in the implementation of the strategic development plan to connect the north to the center of the country with an “advanced, fast and green rail network.”

As part of a discussion held today (Monday) at the National Infrastructure Committee (NIC), the full plan for electrifying the HaEmek Line was presented. With the advancement of the plan, the entire track network on the line is available for electrification. This is part of completing the deployment of the national electric train network.

The electrification project will enable the operation of modern, environmentally friendly and quiet electric trains, which will improve train service and punctuality. So far, about 800 kilometers of track have been converted to electricity out of the planned 1,200 kilometers. At this stage, about half of the approximately 300 trains operating daily are already powered by electricity.

Operating modern electric trains on the Emek Line is expected to significantly improve service for tens of thousands of passengers in the north, shorten travel times, increase train frequency, reduce air pollution and noise, and make the train an attractive and convenient alternative to the private car.

The electrification plan for the HaEmek Line includes the establishment of an advanced electrical infrastructure for operating electric trains along approximately 60 kilometers of track, from Haifa eastward, through the Yokneam Kfar Yehoshua, Migdal HaEmek Kfar Baruch, Afula Rafael Eitan stations, and the David Levy Beit Shean station.

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting in Florida with us secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Coastal District Police thwarted a car theft ring operating in Pardes Hanna and the surrounding area and arrested two suspects, residents of Kafr Qara and Judea and Samaria.

According to the suspicion, over the past few weeks, the cell has been operating in Pardes Hanna and the surrounding area to commit additional vehicle thefts. Detectives pursued the suspicious vehicle in which the cell members were traveling and shortly thereafter arrested them while driving and took them in for questioning.

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Bank of Israel reported that in the third quarter of 2025, the balance of nonfinancial private sector debt (both business and household) increased by approximately 2.6% to a level of 2.4 trillion Shekels ($750 billion), continuing the increase from previous quarters.

The balance of business sector debt increased by about 2.5% – about 36 billion Shekels ($11.2 billion) – during the third quarter, to about 1.5 trillion Shekels ($470 billion). This was mainly due to net debt raised via bank loans.

Bond issuances by the business sector in Israel totaled about 26 billion Shekels ($8.1 billion) during the third quarter, higher than the quarterly average of the previous four quarters. About 57 % of issuances in the third quarter were by companies in the real estate and construction industry, which continues to lead issuances similar to previous years.

The balance of household debt also continued to increase during the quarter, to about 890 billion Shekels ($279 billion), mainly due to a combination of an increase in the balance of non-housing debt -by about 10 billion Shekels ($3.1billion) or 4.2% – to about 246 billion Shekels ($77 billion), which was due to an increase in the balance of debt to banks and credit card companies, and an increase in the balance of non-housing debt – about 14 billion Shekels ($4.3 billion) or 2.2% – due to new mortgage borrowing from banks.

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting in Florida with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — President of the State Yitzhak Herzog visited today, Monday, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ offices in northern Israel, where the President issued a warning to Israel’s enemies.

First, the President received a comprehensive overview of the company’s diverse systems and the company’s activities during the war, and in particular as part of June’s Operation “Rising Lion” against Iran.

After receiving an overview of the system, the President of the State called Yael Oster, the mother of the late Captain Eitan Oster, who was killed while fighting in Lebanon last year and whose birthday was today, while standing next to a model of the system. In his conversation with her, he noted that it was a great honor that such a significant system is named after a hero of Israel.

“The Or Eitan system (part of the vaunted Iron Beam Laser Defense system) is a system that is changing the face of defense and attack throughout the world,” said Herzog. “The entire combat doctrine will change through laser technology, with all that this implies.”

“This is a very big day for the State of Israel, and it is another huge contribution to global security, and to the entire region being able to cooperate together against a great common enemy, who is constantly trying to destabilize the region and try to destroy us. In the end, he will fall,” he added referring to the system’s delivery to the Israeli military.

“This is also a message to our enemies,” declared Herzog. “We suggest that you simply not mess with us, and understand that Israel is an existing fact, and instead of engaging in a discourse of war – engage in a discourse of peace.”

Jerusalem, 29 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint conference call from Florida last night (Sunday) with entrepreneur Elon Musk, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and the head of the National Headquarters for Artificial Intelligence, Erez Eskel.

During the call, said |Netanyahu’s office, Musk accepted the Prime Minister and Minister Regev’s invitation to participate in a smart transportation conference to be held in March.

They also discussed continuing collaborations with Tesla and advancing the law regarding autonomous vehicles.

Netanyahu and Musk spoke at length about promoting and developing artificial intelligence technologies in Israel, and the Prime Minister said in their conversation: “We intend to jumpstart Israel and make it a world leader in the field, just as we did in cyber and other technologies.”