Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, met with a delegation of United Nations ambassadors in Jerusalem, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said on Sunday.

Herzog briefed the diplomats on the challenges facing Israel on the international stage. The meeting also addressed the latest developments at the United Nations.

“We will continue to strengthen ties with the countries represented in the delegation and hold substantive, direct discussions with their ambassadors on the issues on the U.N. agenda,” Danon wrote on X.

https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/un-envoys-meet-herzog-in-jerusalem-for-diplomatic-briefing

According to IDF Brig. Gen. (Res.) Erez Winner, Israel saved the struggling U.S. F-35 program by proving the jet’s combat value in real operations and developing tech upgrades later adopted by Lockheed Martin—sparking global orders and new American jobs.

I hadn't been here for over 30+ years (since my army days) as most of my family and friends live in the coastal part of the country. But we made some new friends a few years ago and this is the second time in a row we went to spend a weekend with them.

The quiet, the nature, the fresh air and the way everything seems so much less hectic than the rest of the country. Our friends call it a "bubble" and we agree. Tomorrow we go back to Haifa and on Wednesday back to the Netherlands but we'll not forget the wide openness of the landscape and the people any time soon.

PS: I didn't edit the shot with the couple overlooking the water - they were enjoying the view and I decided to keep them in as silhouettes.

Currently living in Australia and contemplating moving back to Israel with my wife and newborn baby.

Have been missing my family and friends. Life in Australia is fine but very boring.

A bit about us:
I’m an accountant (but would probably drop this and work in something else in Israel)
My wife works in recruitment but doesn’t speak Hebrew.
We own a house with a mortgage in Australia.

Has anyone recently made the move back to Israel? How are you finding life there currently, financially and professionally? Any regrets?

Edit - I am Israeli born and raised, only lived in Australia for past 8 years. All of my family live in Israel

where should i eat in jerusalem (Kosher only)

Kosher best places to eat in Jerusalem?

Any places near the Israel museum

Near these places?

Any cool places I have to see and eat ofc?

We are visiting your beautiful country for the first time at the end of December with my girlfriend. Tel Aviv and a day trip to Yerushalaim. Two questions: What are the recommended stops on the tourist route in those cities? And is cash accepted still quasi-everywhere? Wondering how much kesef to lifrot before boarding the plane. So excited!

https://intouchweekly.com/shawn-mendes-divides-social-media-after-sharing-free-palestine-post-scary-to-speak-up/

Tamir Hayman (Director of the INSS, a very well regarded national security think tank) argues that Israel has undergone a fundamental transformation in its security doctrine since October 7, shifting from deterrence, defensive warfare, diplomatic engagement, and reliance on American support toward preemptive military action, permanent conflict, territorial security zones, and greater strategic independence.

This emerging doctrine increasingly prioritizes Jewish identity over liberal-democratic values, treats peace as a temporary tactical arrangement rather than a strategic objective, rejects Palestinian statehood, and incorporates civilian settlements into national defense.

Tamir acknowledges that Israel’s traditional security assumptions failed catastrophically on October 7. But his central concern is that Israel is fundamentally redefining what kind of nation it intends to become, without an explicit national debate over the long-term consequences.

I am acknowledging Tamir's concerns and opening it up for debate. What do you think Israel society and security doctrine should look like in the future?

Discussion:

The IDF is slowly changing. The traditional secular elites are aging and enlisting at lower rates than they used to, particularly in ground combat units. Meanwhile, two rising cohorts are making their presence felt far more than before, and their priorities seem destined to conflict.

The first is women in combat units. Between performing heroically on October 7 and a High Court that continues to push for greater integration, women are taking on a much larger role. While they still do not serve in regular frontline infantry brigades, they have broken major barriers elsewhere. Women now serve in Gaza operations with mixed-gender border defense battalions, Artillery, and Combat Engineering (including the elite Yahalom unit). In 2026, the first woman even graduated from Sayeret Matkal training, and the High Court ordered the IDF to begin a trial integrating women into maneuvering Armored Corps units by late 2026.

The second rising cohort is the National Religious sector. Although they make up roughly 12% to 15% of the Israeli Jewish population (depending on how surveys define "dati" versus "traditional-religious"), they are vastly overrepresented in ground combat units and the junior-to-middle officer corps. By some estimates, around 45% or more of the fallen IDF soldiers during the war have come from the National Religious community. As their numbers and operational importance grow, their needs and preferences will become much harder to ignore, both formally and informally.

The small, fledgling Haredi IDF units will only add to the collective push for Orthodox accommodations, such as stricter kosher supervision, gender segregation, and addressing perceived glass ceilings for religious officers.

It will be interesting to see how the IDF navigates the competing demands of these two growing demographics. My guess is that it will play out through intense public debate, High Court petitions, protests, and a lot of institutional muddling through. The end result should be fascinating to watch.

I didn't like the official Israel Railways map, so I made my own version inspired by the NYC subway map (Vignelli in particular). You can download the vector (SVG and PDF) and source files here. Let me know if you have any feedback!

EDIT: The Google Drive link has some fixes:
- Replaced the textured lines with solid black for clarity
- Clarified the “red line” curving movement from Savidor to University to Bnei Brak
- Fixed Ganei Aviv layering → Oh no!!! Gane Aviv has been completely NERFED due to the latest announcement that it is no longer on the Bet Shemesh line! It has been reduced to a tiny dot next to Kfar Chabad!
- Extended the Jerusalem line to Hadera West
- Shortened the Bet Shemesh line. It now terminates in Herzliya, even though just a few days ago it terminated in Netanya. (Avshalom Elmaliach giveth, and Avshalom Elmaliach taketh away…)
- Rerouted Dimona so the BS North label can sit more comfortably
- Tiny nudging and centering fixes