Time selects Eli Sharabi captivity memoir for 100 must-read books of 2025
(JNS) — Time Magazine included the memoir of former Israeli captive Eli Sharabi, titled “Hostage,” on its list of 100 “must-read” books of 2025, published Nov. 12.
Ahead of the book’s international release on the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, Time ran a long-format piece with translated excerpts from the memoir, which it called “A taut, immersive chronicle of endurance” that “also serves as a window into the Israeli view of the war.”
Sharabi “was pulled away from his wife and two daughters in the first hours of the attack. For the next 491 days, with rare exceptions, the only people Sharabi saw were other hostages and Hamas militants — the same parties that have remained front and center in the viewfinder of Jewish Israelis for two solid years, even as most of the world shifted its focus to the Palestinian civilians,” the article states.
“Hostage” was published in Israel in May, four months after the abductee’s return from Gaza. It is the first published memoir of a freed Hamas captive, and has become a best seller in Hebrew.
The English edition is published by Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
“It was important to me that the story come out as quickly as possible, so that the world will understand what life is like inside captivity,” said Sharabi, according to AP.
Marco Rubio warns that violence in the West Bank could threaten Gaza truce
(JTA) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said violence in the West Bank, which is surging, could undercut the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which the United States is working to preserve.
“Certainly there’s some concern about events in the West Bank spilling over and creating an effect that could undermine what we’re doing in Gaza,” Rubio told reporters on Wednesday.
The comments offer a stark confirmation that U.S. officials are paying attention with alarm to conditions in the West Bank, where Israeli settlers have increased their pace of attacks on Palestinians in recent months.
Masked settlers attacked Palestinians in two villages on Wednesday, drawing an unusual rebuke from Israel’s president.
“The harsh events that took place this evening in the Shomron by a handful of violent and dangerous individuals are shocking and serious,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement in Hebrew on social media. “Such violence against civilians and against IDF soldiers crosses a red line and I condemn it severely. All state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon and to strengthen the IDF fighters and security forces who protect us day and night.”
The incident comes amid near-daily attacks by settlers on Palestinian villages, which watchdogs say is contributing to unprecedented displacement of West Bank Palestinians.
Trump formally requests pardon in Israeli legal system for Benjamin Netanyahu
(JTA) — President Donald Trump has made official a suggestion that he first issued on the floor of Israel’s parliament: that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be pardoned preemptively for his alleged crimes.
Trump made the case in a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Herzog’s office released on Wednesday. In it, Trump calls Netanyahu a “formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister” and characterizes his prosecution as “lawfare,” a term that when used pejoratively refers to the misuse of legal systems to achieve ideological ends.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has stood tall for Israel in the face of strong adversaries and long odds, and his attention cannot be unnecessarily diverted,” Trump writes.
He adds, “While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System and its requirements, I believe that this case against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very top adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political unjustified prosecution.”
The letter represents the kind of insertion into Israeli domestic politics that would have drawn ire in the past but have become relatively commonplace during Trump’s norm-busting second term. It follows Trump’s successful push for Israel to strike a ceasefire deal with Hamas that freed the Israeli hostages and suspended the two-year war in Gaza, and comes as Trump is seeking to safeguard the peace. Trump says in the letter that Netanyahu’s leadership is essential for allowing Israel to move forward.
Gal Gadot wins Genesis Prize for her ‘defense of Israel’ as Gaza war divides Hollywood
(JTA) — Actor Gal Gadot has won the Genesis Prize, sometimes called the “Jewish Nobel,” for supporting Israel even as backlash against the country’s actions in Gaza rocked Hollywood.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Gadot has been an outspoken advocate for Israelis taken captive by Hamas. Calling herself “a proud Jew and a proud Israeli,” she said in a statement that she would dedicate the $1 million award to “organizations who will help Israel heal.”
Recipients of the prize, first awarded in 2014, customarily donate it to causes they choose, which have included advancing women’s equality, racial and economic justice, and combating antisemitism and “efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel,” according to a release from the Genesis Prize Foundation, which is based in Israel.
Stan Polovets, the co-founder and CEO of The Genesis Prize Foundation, praised Gadot’s “moral clarity” in a statement.
“The award recognizes her bravery and moral courage — her steadfast defense of Israel at great personal and professional risk, her advocacy for the hostages, her compassion for victims of terror, and her empathy for all innocent victims of this terrible war unleashed by Hamas,” he said.
Gadot, who served two years in the IDF as part of Israel’s compulsory service before being cast in the title role in the 2017 superhero film “Wonder Woman,” has repeatedly used her platform to campaign for the release of Israeli hostages.
Israel foils large Hamas terror network in Bethlehem
(JNS) — Israeli security forces in recent weeks broke up a major Hamas terror network in the Judean city of Bethlehem, including a cell in the advanced stages of preparing an attack, according to an Israel Police statement on Thursday.
Over 50 operatives were arrested in more than 15 separate operations conducted by reservists from the Israel Defense Forces’ Etzion Brigade, along with forces from the IDF’s Duvdevan Unit and the Israel Border Police’s Counterterrorism Unit. The Judea and Samaria District Police and the Israel Security Agency also took part in the joint operation.
In addition to the arrests, weapons were also confiscated, including an M16 rifle.
The network had planned to carry out shootings against Israeli security forces and civilians, with one cell “at an advanced stage of readiness to carry out attacks in the immediate timeframe,” the statement said.
According to the investigation, senior members of the network “recruited and established terror cells, procured weapons and planned shooting attacks targeting Israeli civilians and security personnel.” The dismantling of the network “prevented major planned shootings and bombings that could have resulted in significant loss of civilian and military life,” the agency said.
