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By Pesach Benson • January 15, 2026

Jerusalem, 15 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on Thursday outlined a sweeping foreign policy and economic vision for a post-Islamic Republic Iran, pledging immediate recognition of Israel, normalized relations with the United States, and an end to Tehran’s military nuclear program if the current regime collapses.

In a video statement shared on X and addressed to “all of our friends around the world,” Pahlavi said a future, free Iran would quickly reverse decades of isolation and confrontation. He argued that the country has been wrongly defined abroad by the policies of its clerical rulers.

“Under the yoke of the Islamic Republic, Iran is identified in your minds with terrorism, extremism, and poverty,” he said. “The real Iran is a different Iran. A beautiful, peace-loving, and flourishing Iran.”

Pahlavi, 65, the son of Iran’s last shah, has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has emerged as a prominent opposition figure as protests inside Iran stretch into their third week. Demonstrations have been met with violent crackdowns by security forces. US-based rights group HRANA has confirmed at least 2,615 deaths, while some estimates place the toll significantly higher. Anti-government protests began on December 28 with the collapse of the Iranian rial and rising prices.

Laying out his diplomatic priorities, Pahlavi said Israel would be recognized “immediately” and that Iran would seek to expand the US-brokered Abraham Accords into what he called the “Cyrus Accords.”

“The State of Israel will be recognized immediately,” he said. “We will pursue the expansion of the Abraham Accords into the Cyrus Accords, bringing together a free Iran, Israel, and the Arab world.”

On relations with Washington, Pahlavi pledged a reset after decades of hostility. “Relations with the United States will be normalized, and our friendship with America and her people will be restored,” he said.

Security commitments featured prominently in his remarks. Pahlavi vowed that a new government would dismantle Iran’s nuclear military capabilities and cut off support for armed groups across the region.

“Iran’s nuclear military program will end. Support for terrorist groups will cease immediately,” he said, adding that Iran would work with international partners to combat terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking, and extremist Islamism. “Iran will act as a friend and a stabilizing force in the region. And it will be a responsible partner in global security.”

Economically, Pahlavi described Iran as “one of the world’s last great untapped markets,” citing an educated population and a global diaspora. He promised transparent governance, adherence to international standards, and a crackdown on corruption.

“Money laundering will be confronted. Organized corruption will be dismantled. Public institutions will answer to the people,” he said. He also said Iran’s oil and gas reserves would be managed responsibly, making the country a predictable and reliable global energy supplier.

“This is not an abstract vision. It is a practical one,” Pahlavi concluded. “The fall of the Islamic Republic and the establishment of a secular, democratic government in Iran will not only restore dignity to my people, it will benefit the region and the world.”

In 2023, Pahlavi made a landmark visit to Israel, where he visited the Western Wall, joined Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations, and met with Rabbi Leo Dee, whose wife and daughters were murdered in a Palestinian terror attack.

Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on June 13, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. During 12 days of fighting, Iranian missile strikes killed 28 Israelis and injured more than 3,000.

By Pesach Benson • January 14, 2026

Jerusalem, 14 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel this week kicked off the “Sea the Future 2026” international conference on food security and aquaculture, bringing to Eilat some 400 researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and industry figures to discuss sustainable marine food production amid climate change and population growth.

The three-day conference, jointly led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience, drew delegations from countries seeking research and technological cooperation, including the ministers of agriculture and fisheries of Ghana, India, and Azerbaijan, the deputy agriculture minister of Georgia, and professional teams from Romania and Morocco.

Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Vassaroff described the conference as part of a vision beyond Israel. “There is a shared vision here, not just for Israel but for the whole world,” he said. “What may look like a desolate desert becomes a competitive advantage. This region is a living laboratory, and Eilat is transforming from a tourism city into a hub of information and knowledge.”

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Avi Dichter said Eilat’s unique geography underscored the importance of innovation. “Here in the city of Eilat, where the desert meets the sea, innovation in aquaculture and desert agriculture is the key to strengthening food security in Israel and around the world,” Dichter said. “Our strategy is to increase local production several times over, while maintaining environmental sustainability and farmer welfare.”

The conference focuses on aquaculture as a rapidly growing source of sustainable protein, at a time when natural fishing resources face mounting pressure. Around 90 percent of the world’s fish stocks are fully exploited or overfished, while aquaculture supplies more than half of global fish consumption and grows about 8 percent annually.

Sessions feature Israeli startup technologies, applied research, and panels on marine agriculture, seafood policy, and sustainable marine food systems. Yuval Lipkin, head of the Food Security Directorate, presented Israel’s National Food Security Program 2050, formulated with ministries, research institutions, and civil society.

Oren Lavie, director general of the Agriculture Ministry, said the international turnout reflected a shared understanding of the challenges. “Delegations from around the world came here with the understanding that the world needs high-quality, sustainable protein, and protein from the sea is a central part of the solution,” Lavie said. “Israel leads in knowledge, research, and startups in aquaculture, combining scientific innovation with practical application. This is the true face of Israel.”

Eilat Mayor Eli Lankari said the city’s location made it an ideal platform. “In an era of climate change and population growth, food security is a central component of global resilience,” he said. “Eilat, at the meeting point between sea and desert, provides an exceptional platform for developing advanced solutions in aquaculture, biotechnology, and renewable energy. The conference strengthens regional and international cooperation to deliver practical solutions to global food security challenges.”

By Pesach Benson • January 13, 2026

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s State Comptroller uncovered significant financial irregularities and campaign violations in the February 2024 municipal elections, which were postponed from their original October 2023 date due to the war.

The comprehensive audit report, released by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman on Tuesday, examined the campaign finances of 1,379 local political factions and 102 candidates for regional council positions, as well as 15 national political parties that fielded local candidates. The State Comptroller regularly reviews Israel’s preparedness and the effectiveness of government policies.

The findings reveal that more than a quarter of local factions failed to receive positive audit reports, with widespread violations of campaign finance laws.

“The State Comptroller found that 303 factions and 11 candidates did not manage their accounts in accordance with the State Comptroller’s guidelines,” the report states. Common violations included incomplete expense and income records, cash payments exceeding legal limits, missing documentation, and failure to maintain designated bank accounts for campaign funds.

These changes included a seventeen percent increase in state funding, raising the calculation unit from NIS 63 ($19) to NIS 74 ($23). The calculation unit is a fixed shekel value used by law to determine public campaign funding and spending limits. Raising this value increased the amount of money parties were allowed to receive and spend in the municipal elections.

Other changes included temporarily doubling the maximum allowed donation from NIS 5,000 ($1,500) to NIS 10,000 ($3,100).

The elections took place under extraordinary circumstances, with the government enacting temporary provisions to address the financial strain on campaigns caused by the war and multiple postponements. Originally scheduled for October 31, voting took place in 233 cities, regional councils and local councils throughout the country on Feb. 27, 2024. Displaced families from communities near the Gaza and Lebanon borders cast absentee ballots from where they were staying.

Despite the increased funding, 515 local factions ended their campaigns with deficits totaling approximately NIS 37.2 million ($11.7 million), though this represented an improvement from the 2018 elections. The State Comptroller withheld approximately NIS 3.7 million ($1.1 million) in funding from 297 factions and 13 candidates due to violations, and an additional NIS 13.8 million ($4.3 million) must be returned to the state treasury from factions whose expenses fell below their allocated funding.

Among the national political parties, only the Likud party received a non-positive audit report, with NIS 180,000 ($57,000) in funding withheld. The report cited “improper use of public assets for election propaganda in violation of the Election Methods Law,” along with salary supplements to employees without proper documentation and failure to include subsidiary faction income in financial reports.

The report establishes several new prohibitions aimed at preventing future violations. Most significantly, the Comptroller ruled that political factions are now completely barred from employing their own candidates on salary, whether directly or indirectly. “The state funding granted to factions to cover election expenses is intended to support the election process, not to be transferred directly to the factions’ own candidates,” the report stressed.

The audit also revealed problematic coordination among 26 local factions that participated in joint branding under the name “New Contract” through a commercial corporation. The Comptroller determined this arrangement violated accounting requirements because it made it impossible to verify each faction’s actual expenses using standard audit methods, potentially enabling prohibited mutual contributions between supposedly independent factions.

A particularly concerning finding involves the misuse of advances provided to national parties. Twelve of fifteen national parties received advances exceeding their actual entitlements by approximately NIS 60 million ($19 million), which they are now repaying through monthly deductions from their regular state funding. The Comptroller warns this creates an improper financing mechanism that prevents parties from using their regular funding for its intended purpose of maintaining ongoing public engagement between elections.

Englman called on the Knesset to implement several reforms, including banning cash donations for municipal elections, establishing mechanisms to recover advances if parties dissolve, and requiring national parties to return surplus funding to the state treasury, as local factions must do.

By Pesach Benson • January 7, 2026

Jerusalem, 7 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel successfully completed a $6 billion public offering of dollar-denominated bonds, attracting overwhelming international interest, the Finance Ministry announced on Wednesday. The offering included three series of bonds with terms of 5, 10, and 30 years, with spreads of 90, 100, and 125 basis points above comparable US Treasury yields. The weighted spread averaged 102 basis points, a 34% improvement compared to Israel’s 2024 dollar bond issuance.

“The successful fundraising process of the State of Israel in international markets, which has received high demand from institutional investors from all over the world, reflects the resilience of the Israeli economy and the responsible economic management that we have been implementing in recent years and has earned the trust of the markets,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.

Demand for the offering reached approximately $36 billion, six times the actual volume of bonds sold. More than 300 institutional investors from over 30 countries participated, including nations that have signed the Abraham Accords with Israel.

Accountant General Yahli Rotenberg, who led the issuance, emphasized the significance of the results amid global uncertainties.

“The results of the offering reflect a return to the levels of margins that preceded the war, and indicate a high level of investor confidence in the Israeli economy. The scope of the offering supports the financing needs of the State of Israel for 2026 and is also a significant tailwind for the local market,” said Accountant General Yahli Rotenberg, who led the issuance.

The bonds were underwritten by Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan, following extensive investor meetings in the US, Asia, and Europe.

By Pesach Benson and Omer Novoselsky • January 6, 2026

Jerusalem, 6 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Venezuelans living in Israel reacted with a mix of shock and cautious optimism after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. authorities and flown to New York on drug charges Monday. For the community of around 10,000, the news raises memories of being marginalized by Caracas’ brand of socialism and the possibility of rebuilding a country long dominated by corruption and foreign influence.

Hanna Rajs, who left Venezuela for Israel in 2005 at age 21, told The Press Service of Israel the operation marked a historic blow to Iranian terror networks tied to the Venezuelan government.

“Basically the entire financial wing of Hezbollah was hit very, very hard. For years, the Iranians used Venezuela for drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and a lot of shady dealings,” she told TPS-IL. Rajs expressed hope that new leadership could finally sever Iran’s influence, adding, “Unless the Iranians manage to kick Khamenei out as well. That’s what needs to be done. With God’s help, I hope that happens.”

Regarding economic renewal, she said, “I think some Jews will come back, maybe, if they see an opportunity to do business there and develop there. But I don’t think the majority will come back easily. Israel is nicer and more comfortable than Venezuela, but there is an opportunity if opposition leader María Corina Machado comes to power,” she said.

“Israeli technology could play a major role. People can go weeks without water, electricity, or gas. That’s where Israel can help. My hope is to bring technology there, to help Venezuela develop, and at the same time help Israel grow economically,” she explained.

Marco Manchego, who left Venezuela 19 years ago after anti-government protests, recounted how the Jewish community’s position deteriorated under Hugo Chávez and Maduro.

“Before Chávez came to power, Jews were everywhere — in media, industry, academia. Nobody did anything to us. But after 1999, everything slowly started to change. Synagogues and schools needed security, harassment increased, and Jews started leaving,” he said.

Manchego has not returned to Venezuela for over a decade. “Since 2009, I have not been able to enter. Hezbollah cells are operating in the country, and I fought in Gaza with the Israeli army. Returning now would be extremely risky,” he said. He described the current climate for Jews in Venezuela as one of fear. “They live quietly, like the Jewish community in Iran. They can’t speak freely or protest. Anyone opposing the government is accused of being a Zionist.”

Maor Malul, who emigrated in 2013 after 37 years in Venezuela, described to TPS-IL how Iran expanded its influence over the past two decades. “Even before Maduro, Iran was planting roots in Venezuela. Iranian advisers were in the oil industry, banks, and food chains. There were flights from Tehran and Damascus to Caracas with no oversight. They brought influence to the military and intelligence,” he said.

Malul also described the slow erosion of Jewish life. “Before Chávez, Jews were fully part of society. Security at schools and synagogues was normal. After 2007, with Ahmadinejad visiting and Chávez breaking ties with Israel, harassment increased. Graffiti appeared on synagogues, demonstrations against Israel were everywhere. Jews left because they could no longer live freely,” he said.

Rajs and Malul noted that the capture of Maduro, while not the end of the dictatorship, represents a severe blow to entrenched power structures. “It won’t happen overnight,” Rajs said. “But finally, there is a chance to clean up the house, rebuild, and bring order to a country that has suffered for too long.”

Malul emphasized the challenges ahead. “The dictatorship has been in place for almost 26 years. The army and security systems are infiltrated. People are afraid to speak out. The Jewish community can’t protest. But now, with Maduro captured, there is hope. Change will be slow, but at least the system has been dealt a serious blow.”

All three pointed to opposition leader María Corina Machado as a potential agent of transformation. Rajs described Machado as “capable of turning Venezuela into a truly normative place,” while Manchego and Malul emphasized her pro-Israel stance and her plans for rebuilding infrastructure, agriculture, and tourism.

“Finally,” Rajs said, “it seems like there is a chance to restore democracy, rebuild the country, and help Venezuela and Israel grow together.”

By Pesach Benson • January 5, 2026

Jerusalem, 5 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — For the second consecutive meeting, the Bank of Israel has lowered its key interest rate, cutting it by 0.25 percentage points to 4%. The prime rate now stands at 5.5%. The move came against the expectations of many economists at banks and investment houses, but was driven by a combination of a strengthening Shekel, declining inflation, and early signs of easing labor market pressures.

The Bank of Israel cited a 0.5% drop in the consumer price index in November and an annual inflation rate of 2.4%—well within the target range.

“Inflation expectations for the year ahead and subsequent years remain near the center of the target,” the Monetary Committee said, while noting that risks persist, including geopolitical developments, domestic demand, and the fiscal situation.

Since the previous rate decision, the Shekel has continued to strengthen against the dollar and the euro, and Israel’s risk premium has returned to pre-war levels. The local stock market has outperformed global markets, a trend the bank expects to continue. Analysts note that the recent interest rate cuts could further stimulate market activity: stock prices have risen sharply following last week’s reduction, and the new decision is expected to act as a catalyst for additional gains.

The Bank of Israel also highlighted the broader economic context. Its research division has revised growth forecasts upward, projecting a sharp acceleration in activity in 2026–2027, alongside moderate inflation, low unemployment, and ongoing credit expansion. The interest rate cuts are expected to contribute to a reduction in the state budget deficit, supporting overall economic stability.

Looking ahead, the bank signaled that further rate cuts are likely. “Interest rates are expected to fall at least three times this year,” the committee said, with the base rate potentially reaching 3.5% by the end of 2026—a full percentage point lower than in November 2025. At the same time, the bank emphasized that future policy will be guided cautiously, with the interest rate path depending on developments in inflation, economic activity, and security and fiscal uncertainty.

By Pesach Benson • December 31, 2025

Jerusalem, 31 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Tourism reported on Wednesday that 2025 was a year of cautious recovery and unprecedented crisis management, as the country welcomed a slow return of foreign tourists. The year will close with approximately 1.3 million incoming visitors, even as officials work to stabilize the hotel industry, which supported thousands of Israeli evacuees, the ministry said.

“The easing of travel warnings and the restoration of airline routes have allowed tourism to begin returning,” Tourism Minister Haim Katz said. “At the same time, we had a responsibility to protect citizens and maintain the tourism industry during an extremely challenging period. Both missions were critical for the future of Israeli tourism.”

The United States remained Israel’s largest source market, sending roughly 400,000 visitors, followed by France with 159,000 and the United Kingdom with 95,000. Other notable source countries included Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Canada, and Romania. Domestic tourism also continued to be a stabilizing force, with more than 13 million overnight stays by Israelis recorded in hotels nationwide by the end of the third quarter.

Survey data collected by the ministry in the first half of 2025 showed evolving visitor patterns since the war. The average stay fell to 9.3 nights from 11.4 in 2024, while spending by independent travelers increased to $1,622 per trip, excluding flights. Visiting friends and relatives remained the leading motivation, cited by 45% of tourists, followed by vacation at 14% and business at 12%. Satisfaction levels were high, with 88% reporting a positive experience and 83% saying they would recommend Israel as a destination.

Alongside the gradual return of foreign tourists, the ministry led a historic effort to house residents from conflict zones.

More than 125,000 evacuees were accommodated in roughly 670 hotels and guesthouses across the country, a program that concluded in July 2025. The state paid hotels approximately NIS 7 billion ($2.19 billion) for hosting evacuees, which officials said preserved thousands of jobs and prevented widespread collapse in the hospitality sector. An additional NIS 175 million ($54.8 million) was allocated to renovate properties affected by the prolonged stays and return them to normal tourist operations.

“This operation was not only a humanitarian necessity. It also saved the hotel industry and safeguarded livelihoods across Israel,” Katz said.

“For a long period, tourism was not about vacations at all,” Katz added. “It was about keeping people safe, maintaining jobs, and ensuring that the industry would still exist when recovery begins.”

Ministry Director General Michael Yitzhakov said the dual mission of welcoming tourists while managing a large-scale evacuation required careful coordination. “We had to operate simultaneously in crisis management and long-term planning,” he said. “This meant strengthening infrastructure, supporting entrepreneurs, and maintaining our marketing presence abroad, even when tourist arrivals were limited.”

Looking ahead to 2026, the ministry plans to build on early signs of recovery by expanding hotel supply, investing in public tourism infrastructure, and integrating artificial intelligence into marketing and operations. Grants totaling over 180 million shekels were approved this year for the construction of 2,050 new hotel rooms, and another 174 million shekels were allocated to infrastructure projects proposed by local authorities.

In parallel, the ministry approved more than NIS 180 million ($56 million) in grants for entrepreneurs to build over 2,000 new hotel rooms and allocated about NIS 174 million ($54.5 million) for public tourism infrastructure projects submitted by local authorities.

Looking ahead to 2026, officials say the ministry will expand its use of artificial intelligence in marketing and operations and establish a tourism innovation community linking startups with industry players. “After a period in which tourism helped carry the home front,” Yitzhakov said, “our task now is to restore international confidence and turn resilience into renewed growth.”

“Tourism played a critical role both in protecting citizens and supporting the economy,” Yitzhakov said. “Now our focus is on restoring international confidence and turning resilience into renewed growth.”

By Pesach Benson • December 30, 2025

Jerusalem, 30 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s ambitious Tel Aviv metro project, set to become the country’s largest infrastructure undertaking, faces severe organizational and financial challenges that could delay its completion and add billions to its cost, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman.

“The challenges are enormous in many ways. Costs amounting to tens of billions of shekels. Thousands of heavy trucks were replaced in the heart of Gush Dan. The expenditure of millions of shekels from excavations of 300 kilometers of tunnels and many other challenges. The delays in its completion are causing damage of tens of billions of shekels to the citizens of Israel,” Englman said.

The Comptroller regularly reviews Israel’s preparedness and the effectiveness of government policies.

The 150-kilometer underground railway system, designed to serve more than three million residents across 24 municipalities in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, carries a price tag of NIS 177 billion ($55.69 billion). The project represents roughly one-third of all state infrastructure investment in the coming years, making it not only Israel’s largest Infrastructure project but one of the most ambitious metro systems under development worldwide, according to the comptroller.

He warned that delays in completion cause damage of tens of billions of shekels to Israeli citizens, and that deficiencies in proper preparation could lead to postponement of the project’s completion, disruption to the lives of millions of citizens, and significant cost increases.

The comptroller identified what he called a critical failure at the heart of the project: the absence of a coordinating authority. The Metro Authority, established in 2021, currently operates with only five employees. Its director, recruited three years after the search committee was formed, served for just a few months before resigning in October 2025, shortly after the audit concluded.

“How is it possible that there is no director for the Metro Authority responsible for a project whose cost, according to law as of 2025, stands at NIS 177 billion shekels including indexation?” Englman asked.

The report reveals that neither the National Transport Infrastructure Company, known as NTA, nor the Transport Ministry and Metro Authority have completed preparations to absorb up to 16,000 foreign specialists and workers required for the project. Additionally, Israel faces a shortage of approximately 4,500 civil engineers, expected to grow to 8,000 in coming years, with no adequate recruitment programs in place comparable to those in the defense or health sectors.

Equipment shortages pose another significant obstacle. The tunnel boring machines necessary for excavation are not currently in Israel, and the country lacks equipment for ground-freezing technology untested in Israel. Laboratory capacity for soil testing falls short of project requirements, potentially causing delays in completing ground surveys and consequently affecting construction timelines, the report said.

The audit identified three major financial risks. First, preliminary estimates suggest the project cost may exceed the approved budget by up to NIS 12 billion ($3.77 billion). Second, dedicated revenues from betterment taxes have declined from initial projections of NIS 38-43 billion ($11.9-$13.5 billion) to NIS 25-30 billion ($7.85-$9.42 billion) due to tax rate reductions. Third, the government will need to provide tens of billions of shekels in interim financing before dedicated revenues begin flowing, yet the Finance Ministry has not presented a bridging mechanism to the government.

Coordination with utility companies remains incomplete. While NTA reached an agreement with the state electric company, service level agreements with telecommunications companies have not been signed, despite extended negotiations. Similar coordination gaps exist with water corporations.

The metro’s urgency stems from Tel Aviv’s deteriorating traffic situation. The metropolitan area accounts for 44 percent of Israel’s population and 62 percent of business output, yet its transport infrastructure represents only 50 percent of GDP compared to 71 percent in developed nations. Without the metro, traffic congestion costs are projected to reach NIS 25 billion ($7.85 billion) annually by 2040, up from NIS 10 billion ($3.14 billion) in 2018.

“The metro project is a national project and therefore requires special treatment by all relevant government ministries,” Englman emphasized, calling on the Transport Minister, Finance Minister, and responsible bodies to act immediately to correct deficiencies and streamline work on the project.

By TPS-IL • December 30, 2025

Jerusalem, 30 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — A new study from Stanford University has placed Tel Aviv University at the top of a highly competitive global ranking, finding that undergraduate studies at TAU dramatically increase the likelihood of becoming a founder of a billion-dollar startup.

“It is because the university offers a high level of education alongside active encouragement of entrepreneurial initiatives. We do not only provide knowledge. We encourage students to experience the world of Entrepreneurship during their studies, and that is one of the reasons for this success,” Prof. Moshe Zviran, Tel Aviv University’s Chief Entrepreneurship and Innovation Officer, told The Press Service of Israel.

A unicorn refers to a privately held startup company valued at $1 billion or more. The term was coined in 2013 by U.S. venture capitalist Aileen Lee to emphasize how rare such companies once were — like the mythical creature.

According to the research, published last week by Prof. Ilya Strebulaev of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, entrepreneurs who completed their undergraduate degrees at Tel Aviv University are 260 percent more likely to go on to found a unicorn company than comparable founders who received venture capital funding but did not attend the institution. The figure is the highest recorded among all universities examined in the study, including elite American institutions such as MIT, Stanford, and Yale.

The research focused on the relationship between academic background and entrepreneurial outcomes among founders of venture capital-backed companies. Strebulaev analyzed data from 2,781 founders of U.S.-based unicorn companies, defined as privately held startups valued at over one billion dollars, and compared them to a control group of 2,188 founders of venture capital-backed firms that did not reach unicorn status. To ensure a fair comparison, the groups were matched according to the year in which each company received its first round of venture capital funding.

Within that framework, Tel Aviv University emerged as a clear outlier. While undergraduate education at MIT was associated with a 90 percent increase in the odds of founding a unicorn, and degrees from Stanford or Yale correlated with a 60 percent increase, TAU’s relative advantage more than doubled those figures. Berkeley and Cornell, both mainstays of the global innovation ecosystem, showed an increase of about 30 percent.

In absolute numbers, American universities still dominate the field. Stanford University ranked first overall, producing 139 unicorn founders, or five percent of the total sample. Tel Aviv University, however, was the only institution outside the United States to appear in the top tier of the ranking. It placed eighth globally in the number of unicorn founders it produced, ahead of several major U.S. universities, while simultaneously leading the list in terms of relative impact.

The study points to a distinctive academic and cultural environment that appears to significantly amplify the likelihood of high-growth outcomes among TAU’s undergraduate alumni, Zviran said. At the same time, he emphasized that institutional advantages are only part of the equation.

“We are not creating something from scratch,” he added. “We are refining and channeling what Israeli students already bring with them.”

By Pesach Benson • December 25, 2025

Jerusalem, 25 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s aviation sector soared in 2025, signaling a recovery after years of disruption caused by war in Gaza and Lebanon. New figures from the Israel Airports Authority (IAA), released on Wednesday, showed a sharp increase in both passenger numbers and flight operations.

ben gurion Airport, Israel’s main hub, led the resurgence. In 2025, nearly 18.4 million passengers traveled on international flights through Tel Aviv, a 33 percent jump from 2024. The airport recorded roughly 134,000 takeoffs and landings, up 32 percent from the previous year.

“The growth in passenger traffic and the return of airlines to Israel testify to the resilience of our aviation system,” said Moshe Ben Zakai, director general of the Ministry of Transport. “We are preparing for sustained growth in the years ahead.”

Domestic carriers still dominate Tel Aviv, with El Al, Israir, and Arkia together handling 58 percent of all flights. El Al, Israel’s largest airline, saw its share drop to 38 percent as foreign carriers resumed operations. Greece remained the most popular international destination, welcoming 2.2 million Israeli travelers, followed by the United States with 1.6 million, and the United Arab Emirates with 1.5 million. Italy and Cyprus each drew around 1.2 million passengers, reflecting a mix of long-standing and emerging travel patterns.

Other airports in Israel also experienced strong gains. Haifa International Airport recorded 280,757 passengers, of whom 198,000 traveled internationally, buoyed by Air Haifa’s full return to service. Ramon Airport near Eilat grew by 13 percent, handling 750,000 passengers, almost entirely on domestic flights.

“The 2025 data shows Israeli aviation firmly returning to the center of the international map,” said Sharon Kadmi, CEO of the Airports Authority. “Even under complex conditions, we maintained high operational continuity and safety while preparing for sustained expansion at airports and border crossings.”

The Airports Authority is moving quickly to meet rising demand. It has submitted a development plan worth 7.9 billion shekels ($2.48 billion) to the government to upgrade and expand airports and border infrastructure. “2025 proves that Israeli aviation can grow even in challenging times,” said Minister of Transport Brig. Gen. (Res.) Miri Regev. “Investments in airports, passenger services, and safety are part of a strategic approach to ensure advanced, accessible aviation now and in the future.”

In early December, the Israel Planning Administration approved a construction permit for a new terminal featuring modern baggage-handling systems, check-in counters, offices, and unloading zones to handle growing passenger demand. The airport expects traffic to reach 22 million in 2026.

Land border crossings managed by the IAA also showed an upward trend, with 5.25 million people crossing in 2025. The Yitzhak Rabin Crossing, linking Eilat with Jordan’s Aqaba, saw nearly 1.93 million travelers, up 19 percent. The Begin-Taba Crossing to Egypt surged 56 percent to 960,000. Meanwhile, the Allenby Crossing connecting Judea and Samaria with Jordan recorded 1.87 million travelers despite temporary closures earlier in the year, and the Jordan River Crossing grew by 24 percent to 495,000.