The ministry emphasized improving service to local authorities and strengthening cooperation between the ministry’s various units.

The ministry held a Design Thinking workshop, focused on the customer experience of local authorities. In addition, a professional panel was held, moderated by Shira Goldberg, Acting Senior Director of Strategy, with senior managers in the ministry, Anat Hannah Lanksner, Director of the Local Government Administration, Nadav Lachman Lazar, Director of the Economic Development Administration, Dror Soroka, Haifa District Commissioner and Acting Northern District Commissioner, and Yehuda Zemeret, Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Interior. The panel dealt with the topic of turning work plans into reality. Following this, a personal, down-to-earth interview was held with the Director General of the Ministry, Israel Ozana, moderated by Tami Nassa, Commissioner for Judea and Samaria.

The Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Israel Ozana, emphasized the importance of planning even in a complex reality: “Planning is the key to success. Not all planning is implemented – but without planning, nothing is implemented. As it is said: ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ 

cooperation between units is not an ‘added value’ – it is a condition for success. When units manage to work together and present a unified concept, it indicates serious professional work. We are one organization, with shared responsibility.”

Shira Goldberg, Acting Director of the Senior Strategy Department: “During the conference, ministry employees practiced their ability to provide service and step into the shoes of local authorities. Likewise, from the analysis of successful reforms, it can be learned that agreements between regulators are a decisive factor for success, especially when the reforms are complex and generate opposition. As a conclusion – this year we placed a great emphasis on cooperation at the conference and in the implementation of work plans in 2026.”

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The High Court of Justice has accepted an appeal filed by ZAKA’s Legal Department, ruling that no autopsies will be conducted on the bodies of the two toddlers who died in a devastating Jerusalem daycare disaster. The appeal challenged an earlier decision by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. The families of three-month-old Leah Tzipora Golovnetsitz and six-month-old Aharon (Ari) Katz had objected to the autopsies on religious grounds.

Doctors at Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine estimated the likely cause of death was heatstroke and dehydration, possibly linked to an air conditioner set to unusually high heat in a closed room, though they stressed that a final determination has not been made.

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm Cyata has disclosed multiple security flaws in mcp-server-git, Anthropic’s official Git Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. The vulnerabilities, affecting versions prior to December 18, 2025, can be chained to enable remote code execution purely through prompt injection, without direct access to the target system.

Cyata cofounders Shahar Tal and Baruch Weizman warned that the flaws compromise trust boundaries in AI-assisted workflows and recommended immediate upgrades. The issues, reported to Anthropic in June 2025, were patched in December. The firm continues to lead research into AI agent security, highlighting risks in emerging agentic frameworks worldwide.

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Council for Higher Education approved the transformation of Tel Hai Academic College into Kiryat Shmona University, set to begin in the 2017 academic year, 20 years after the government first decided to establish a university in the Galilee. The upgrade comes amid local protests over displacement and lack of government support following two years of war.

The university will offer doctoral programs in biotechnology, education, psychology, and nutritional sciences, alongside a new engineering faculty and a veterinary school in the Golan Heights. Plans also include a “University City” to integrate students into Kiryat Shmona.

Officials say the university will drive regional growth, create jobs, and strengthen the social and academic fabric of northern Israel.

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli startup Legato raised $7 million in a seed funding round led by S Capital VC, with support from Cerca Partners. The company’s AI platform lets non-technical users create and customize apps directly inside software products, cutting the need for expensive professional services.

“SaaS platforms can no longer rely only on developers,” said CEO Dana Rochman. “Legato lets anyone build tools quickly, in minutes instead of months.”

Legato plans to use the funding to grow its AI team and speed up research and development, helping more software platforms adopt its technology.

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli biotech CannaLean Biotechs announced the successful completion of its first-in-human study of CLC-01, a novel oral cannabidiol–chitosan (CBD–CHT) therapy for high LDL cholesterol. Conducted in partnership with Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare organization, the 12-week study showed CLC-01 was well tolerated and led to an average 28% reduction in LDL levels among participants.

“These results validate our platform,” said Chief Scientific Officer Moshe Mittelman. CannaLean plans to advance CLC-01 into larger clinical trials, aiming to provide a safe, accessible alternative for patients who cannot tolerate statins, while exploring broader global commercialization.

The demand for electricity is growing due to natural growth and the electrification of the transportation and industrial sectors, as is the demand for clean electricity to reduce emissions. The Electricity Authority has been working over the past decade to promote Renewable energy through various technologies, primarily solar energy combined with energy storage facilities, while creating regulations that incentivize their establishment (urban premium, fast tracks, rooftops, etc.).

The significance of increasing the target to 35% by 2035 is an installed capacity of approximately 22 GW, while currently the installed capacity stands at about 8 GW. The Authority’s recommendation means installing about 1.4 GW per year compared to an average of 0.9 GW in recent years, which necessitates increasing government efforts to enhance the chances of meeting the target.

The Authority recommends realizing the target in a ground-oriented and agro-voltaic scenario, where the economic benefit is significantly higher than in a rooftop-oriented scenario. It should be noted that even in the ground-oriented and agro-voltaic scenario, about one-third of the facility capacity will be on rooftops.

Increasing the target is expected to increase the economic benefit by approximately NIS 6 billion, factoring in the full external costs of the Green Book and an additional tariff cost of about NIS 2.05 billion, so that the total excess cost of renewable energy generation will not exceed 10% of the electricity tariff in 2030 and 8% in 2035.

The economic benefit of a 40% target was found to be higher by about NIS 1.5 billion, although it means doubling the current installation rate. Therefore, the Authority requests public input on the feasibility of meeting the 40% target by 2035. In any case, the Authority recommends that if 2 GW (the annual volume required to meet the 40% target in the next 10 years) are connected per year for two consecutive years until 2030, the target will automatically increase to 40%.

Increasing the renewable energy target to more than one-third of electricity generation in Israel is a weighty decision with far-reaching implications within and outside the electricity economy. Therefore, increasing the target must be a national mission with the commitment and involvement of the entire economy. The main resources should be directed to a special effort in two strategically important components: developing the electricity grid’s capability and significant integration of agro-voltaic facilities, which are a necessary condition for meeting renewable energy targets.

The Authority views the 35% target as ambitious yet realistic, considering the unique characteristics of the State of Israel, taking into account the expected growth in electricity demand, the proven rate of renewable energy facility penetration in recent years, the existing shortage of land and grid resources, and the limitations arising from Israel’s limited energy mix. This target allows for significant progress towards national climate goals while maintaining system stability and tariff accessibility for consumers.

The public review document is published on the Authority’s website for public submissions until February 19, 2026, and will be brought for a decision to the members of the Electricity Authority plenum according to the plenum’s schedule. The public is invited to send comments through the Electricity Authority’s website.

In December 2025, the Sports Driving Authority held hearings on offenses committed in violation of the Sports Driving Law, 5766 – 2005.
Below is a summary of the events and the decisions of the Director of the Sports Driving Authority regarding them.

The award committee convened under the chairmanship of Prof. Nurit Shuv-Zisso and with the participation of members Prof. Sigal Abramovich and Dr. Naomi Porat.
  
The award committee stated in its reasoning that the award is granted to Dr. Bar-Matthews for her exceptional, groundbreaking, and globally influential scientific contribution in the field of paleoclimate research from caves, and for her many years of contribution to science and society in Israel. According to them, Dr. Bar-Matthews is one of the world’s leading researchers in establishing cave sediments as an accurate, continuous, and high-resolution terrestrial climate archive, which serves as a central basis for understanding past climate changes.  

The committee also noted that in pioneering and ongoing research in Soreq Cave, Dr. Bar-Matthews led to an unprecedented reconstruction of the climate in the Eastern Mediterranean over the last approximately 500,000 years. Her work created a unique climate database that became the “Rosetta Stone” of regional and global climate research, and influenced many fields including Earth sciences, water resource management, archaeology, and human studies.

Her research has positioned the Eastern Mediterranean as a natural laboratory for understanding the relationship between climate, environment, and humans, and has become an international methodological standard.  

The Israel Prize is the most important and prestigious award given in the State of Israel. The awards will be presented on the eve of Israel’s 78th Independence Day.