Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — With an investment of approximately 450 million Shekels ($143), Israel’s Ministry of Transportation is embarking on the expansion of Highway 505 from Ariel to Tapuach Junction in Samaria.

The project, which will be carried out by the Israel Roads Company, will transform the main axis into a two-lane, two-lane highway, upgrade safety, and include public transportation infrastructure and advanced security components.

As part of the work, the road will be expanded to a two-lane and two-lane route along the entire section. The project includes the resurfacing of the Ariel Intersection, the Marda/Jama’in Intersection and the Kfar Tapuach Intersection, alongside the establishment of public transportation lanes (PTLs) at the intersections in preparation for a future public transportation system. The work will also include complex engineering development, the construction of retaining walls, drainage arrangements, landscape development and water infrastructure.

In addition, many resources will be invested in security components that include floodlighting, protective fences and infrastructure for advanced security systems. The tender for the work was published a week ago.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Tuesday with Yaakov Harari, who was released Monday night from prison in Venezuela and landed in Israel a short time ago. Harari is an Israeli-Argentine businessman who Venezuela accused of being a mercenary.

Yacob, 72, was held for more than a year by the Maduro regime along with dozens of other Western prisoners.

Yael and Ya’ara, Yaakov’s daughters, also participated in the conversation, who wished to express their appreciation to the State of Israel, the Prime Minister, the Jewish community in Caracas, and all of the state’s envoys for the relentless effort to free their father from prison and return him home.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Harari family and wished the family members and Yaakov health, a speedy recovery, and a return to a normal life after the nightmare they went through.

The Prime Minister expressed appreciation to the Foreign Ministry, the Mossad, and the coordinator of the Shul, Gal Hirsch, for their work and wished to thank the American government, the German government, the Austrian government, and the Italian government for the assistance they provided to Israel in the process of returning Yaakov to his homeland.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Government Freedom of Information Unit in the Ministry of Justice and the Administration for Special Duties in the Ministry of the Interior published a report reviewing the implementation of the Freedom of Information Law in local authorities in 2024.

According to the report, a total of 9,676 freedom of information requests were submitted to local authorities in 2024. This is an increase of approximately 11.5% compared to 2023. For comparison, 13,956 requests were submitted to government ministries in the same period.

The authorities to which the largest number of requests were submitted are the Jerusalem Municipality, the Ashdod Municipality, and the Rishon LeZion Municipality. A breakdown of all requests found that 78% of the requests were submitted to municipalities and the rest to local and regional councils.

Approximately 60% of the reasons for rejection cited by local authorities were that the information could not be located (50.2%) or the information was not in the authority’s possession (9%).

The government’s Freedom of Information Unit notes that 45 out of 258 authorities (about 17% of all local authorities) did not submit a Freedom of Information report at all, contrary to the law, including the Taiba Municipality (third year in a row), the Ma’ale Adumim Municipality (third year in a row), the Nazareth Municipality (fourth year in a row) and the Shfaram Municipality, and the local councils – Elkana, Lehavim, Arara, Kasiphe, Kiryat Arba, Kiryat Tivon, Karnei Shomron and more.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has decided that Israel will immediately sever all contact with the following UN agencies and international organizations. In addition, the Foreign Minister has ordered his ministry to immediately examine, in consultation with relevant government ministries as necessary, the continued cooperation between Israel and other organizations. Additional decisions will be made after a thorough examination and further discussion.

These are the organizations with which Israel severed ties:

1. The UN Alliance of Civilizations – The organization, founded by Turkey and Spain, claims to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue, but did not invite Israel to participate in its activities, and for years served as a platform for attacks on Israel.

2. UN Energy – “A wasteful organization that reflects the UN’s excessive and inefficient bureaucracy.”

3. Global Forum on Migration and Development – “The forum undermines the ability of sovereign states to enforce their own immigration laws.”

As stated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will thoroughly examine additional organizations and further decisions will be made later.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today with Yaakov Harari, who was released last night from his prison in Venezuela and landed in Israel a short while ago.

Yaakov, 72, was held for over a year by the Maduro regime along with dozens of other Western hostages.

Yaakov’s daughters, Yael and Yaara, also participated in the conversation.
They wished to express their appreciation to the State of Israel, the Prime Minister, the Jewish community in Caracas, and all the state’s envoys for their unceasing efforts to release their father from prison and bring him home.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Harari family and wished the family members and Yaakov good health, a speedy recovery, and a return to normal life after the nightmare they went through.

The Prime Minister expressed appreciation to the personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mossad, and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Gal Hirsch, for their work, and asked to thank the American administration, the German government, the Austrian government, and the Italian government for the assistance they provided to Israel in the process of bringing Yaakov back to the country.

The 2026 Certified Public Accountant Licensing Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 4:00 PM at Binyanei Ha’Uma in jerusalem.

As part of the implementation of the ‘Capital Shield’ program, outlined by Jerusalem District Commander Superintendent Avshalom Feled, to strengthen governance and combat crime in all its forms, an extensive and integrated enforcement operation was conducted this morning in the Shuafat refugee camp. 

Police officers from the Shuafat station and the Jerusalem District Forensic Science Division, in cooperation with Border Police fighters from the Jerusalem Envelope, and civilian enforcement officials including representatives of the Federation for Intellectual Property, the Veterinary Services Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Poultry Council, Arnona measurements, execution contractors, and the National Unit for Enforcement of Collection at the Tax Authority (Jerusalem Execution Office), raided several shops and businesses. There, they found tens of thousands of items suspected of being counterfeit, including large quantities of cigarettes and tobacco products, and food products that pose a real danger to public health, which were stored in poor sanitary conditions and without the required veterinary supervision. 

During the operation, 10 vehicles valued at over NIS 400,000 were impounded. 90,000 packs of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes were seized – the estimated value of the goods is approximately NIS 890,000. Business owners were also summoned for further investigation and will face criminal proceedings for the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods.

Business owners who distributed counterfeit and smuggled goods are expected to face fines of NIS 100,000 each for possessing, selling, and distributing counterfeit cigarettes. 2 reports and a summons for a hearing, including the impoundment and towing of a bus, were issued. 3 arrest warrants + court summonses were executed. 4 scooters and a vehicle suspected of being stolen were located, towed, and examined by a sapper. Furthermore, during the forces’ operation conducted at night, 13 suspects who were wanted for investigation by the police and security agencies were arrested.

One of the main objectives of the ‘Capital Shield’ program is to collaborate with civilian enforcement agencies, in order to ensure that the law is enforced everywhere within the Jerusalem Envelope and the adjacent villages. The sale of food without supervision and counterfeit goods is not only an economic offense, but a direct blow to the security and health of the residents. The ‘Capital Shield’ operation program will continue in various areas, in order to increase and strengthen sovereignty and governance.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Heavy rain caused Flooding at the Hatzor Air Base in central Israel, the Defense Forces said.

“Base teams are currently working to address the incident and contain the flooding, while maintaining the proper functioning of the base. There is no harm to operational capability,” the IDF said.

In 2020, eight aircraft at Hatzor were severely damaged when two nearby rivers overflowed.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli startup Converge Bio has secured $25 million in a Series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, bringing its total funding to $30 million. Founded in 2024, Converge develops an AI platform that accelerates drug discovery for Biotech and Pharmaceutical Companies, offering tools for target identification, antibody design, and protein optimization.

The platform is already in use by over a dozen global companies, delivering measurable results in oncology, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative research. CEO Dov Gertz said the goal is to make “every Biotech and pharma company an AI company.”