Einhorn demanded that this relationship be disclosed in the response segment, which Assenheim indeed read out in full and did not deny. It is also reasonable to assume that Feldstein chose to give the interview specifically to Assenheim because he trusted him. Still, that personal connection did not prevent Assenheim from posing tough questions, nor did it spare Feldstein from giving answers that were, at times, embarrassing.

On the interview

1. The lengthy conversation with Feldstein shows the enormous pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced to stop the war prematurely. He insisted on continuing, even after six hostages were murdered by Hamas, and it is important to once again give the prime minister substantial credit for that resolve. That very stance ultimately led to the successful deal that secured the release of all the hostages, except for Ran Gvili, for whom we are all still waiting.

2. The original sin of this affair was the decision to keep Feldstein employed within Netanyahu's circle, despite his failure to pass Shin Bet security screenings. According to Feldstein's testimony, this stemmed from the desire of Netanyahu's aides, specifically Jonatan Urich, to continue using Feldstein's media services. That is how the workaround was devised: paying his salary through a third party.

3. Instead of resorting to such a maneuver, the proper course of action would have been to thank Feldstein for his work and send him home. That is precisely why such security screenings exist. This is what proper governance looks like.

4. Feldstein's statements, along with other evidence, fundamentally contradict the version put forward by Netanyahu's associates, who claim that Feldstein was removed from the prime minister's environment in April 2024 after failing the Shin Bet check. The six hostages were murdered in August 2024. Netanyahu's press conference in which he pledged not to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor took place on September 3, 2024. The publication of the so-called "Sinwar documents" in the German newspaper Bild, material that Feldstein passed on to the paper, appeared on September 6. It was intended to shield Netanyahu, and Urich sent Feldstein a message afterward saying, "The boss is pleased." In other words, long after he had been disqualified, Feldstein was still deeply involved, and there is additional evidence to that effect.

Who paid Feldstein?

5. It is hard to believe Feldstein's claim that he was "naive" and that he "made a mistake" by not clarifying for many months who this individual, Gil Birger, was who paid his salary and why. This explanation is even less credible given that Feldstein sat in a three-way, face-to-face meeting with Birger and Jay Footlik, a lobbyist for Qatar. Feldstein is neither stupid nor naive. Either he knew the source of the funds and is lying, or he did not ask because he did not want to know, as Assenheim suggested. What is certain is that anyone who receives a salary knows who is paying them and for what reason, especially someone as sophisticated as Feldstein, and especially when serving as a spokesman connected to the prime minister.

6. It is telling that in Netanyahu's response on Monday night, he said only of Urich that "there is no offense here." In other words, legally, his loyal adviser was cleared. Substantively, however, even Netanyahu appears to understand the problem. Ultimately, one of his closest confidants ventured at least into a gray area by attaching to him a spokesman whose salary was paid by an external actor. That may be legal, but it certainly stinks. And all this is before we even utter the word Qatar.

7. Both Urich, in a post on X, and Feldstein claim they did not know that Feldstein's salary came from the Qatari lobbyist. To the best of my knowledge, as of now there is no positive proof that they had such knowledge. But, and this is a big but, the circumstantial evidence shows that they acted in Qatar's interest.

8. As exposed by Avishai Grinzeig in a report on Sunday, Feldstein systematically worked to advance Qatar's interests. This was reflected in the briefings he planted with commentators and reporters, as well as in other actions he took. These moves were carried out in coordination, or at least with updates, involving Israel Einhorn, and in close contact with Jonathan Urich. This is the same Urich who, as noted, devised the distorted arrangement under which Feldstein's salary was paid by an external entity working for Qatar.

9. In other words, Feldstein promoted Qatar while also receiving money from Qatar, all under an arrangement stitched together by his associates, Einhorn and Urich. Their claim is that this happened without their knowing that Qatar was the funding source. That is like saying there is smoke without fire, or a cause without an effect. It is very hard to accept this feigned innocence, especially from such a seasoned group of operators.

10. And of course, all this took place during the most difficult war since Israel's founding, from the very heart of the Prime Minister's Office and the Kirya military complex in Tel Aviv, right under the prime minister's nose. If he knew about the crooked arrangement and or that the money was coming from Qatar, that is appalling. If he did not know, that is no less appalling. In light of these revelations, Netanyahu must at the very least give testimony in this affair.

11. Netanyahu's associates are defending him, as expected. For me, this chain of actions recalled a famous line by Richard Nixon about the Watergate affair: "People whose zeal exceeded their judgment and who may have done wrong in a cause they deeply believed to be right." Nixon, as we know, was ultimately forced to resign over Watergate.

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The discussion began with a report on NBC that was only partially accurate, claiming Iran has the capability to produce 3,000 long-range surface-to-surface missiles within a short period of time. The reality is far from that, as Iran is not capable of manufacturing missiles on that scale so quickly. Still, security officials acknowledge in conversations with Israel Hayom that Iran's motivation in recent weeks to rebuild its missile array has grown, with a particular emphasis on launchers, which are a bottleneck in the rate of missile launches toward Israel.

According to Israeli assessments, Iran is seeking to significantly increase not only its missile stockpile but, more importantly, the number of launchers, in order to carry out an opening strike that would paralyze Israel and its air defense systems through the launch of a large volume of missiles.

Another report, published by Axios, said Israel suspects that a military exercise currently underway in Iran is a cover for a surprise attack Iran is planning against Israel. Here, too, there is a kernel of truth. Israel is indeed monitoring the exercise, but according to security sources, there is no concrete intelligence indicating that Iran has decided to use it as camouflage for a surprise strike. It is reasonable to assume that whoever leaked Israeli concerns about the exercise also sought to use the publication as a warning to Iran, making clear that Israel is aware of the drill and is closely tracking it.

Iran is a "wounded animal"

This is the place to positively note the shift in Israeli thinking since October 7, and the fact that Israel is closely monitoring developments in Iran and is not once again falling into the trap of assuming Iranian capabilities have been destroyed for the long term and that the threat has been pushed far into the future. In Israel, officials understand that Iran is a "wounded animal." If before Operation Rising Lion it sought Israel's destruction and built capabilities toward that end, then after the operation its motivation has not declined but, on the contrary, has only intensified.

In recent months, Israel assessed that Iran, and Israel as well, required a certain period of recovery after Operation Rising Lion to rebuild its missile infrastructure. The prevailing assumption was therefore that it would take time before the next round. However, as noted, the intelligence Israel is closely following points to an acceleration in the rehabilitation of Iran's missile array, alongside some activity aimed at attempting to restart its nuclear program.

One of the most troubling variables that has received less media attention in recent days is Iran's highly complex internal situation, reflected, among other things, in the ongoing erosion of its currency. Israel does not rule out the possibility that, in order to cope with its domestic problems, the Iranian regime may seek to initiate an external war with Israel to divert public attention away from the country's economic and other difficulties.

In any case, senior officials told Israel Hayom that the arena most troubling Israel's defense establishment leaders at this time is Iran, and the greatest fear is a miscalculation or a surprise of which Israel would be unaware. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue last night, saying, "We know that Iran has been conducting exercises recently. We are following this, making the necessary preparations. And I want to make clear to Iran: any action will be met with a very harsh response."

Meanwhile, Israel's defense establishment is preparing all the intelligence and operational material Netanyahu will need for discussions with President Trump. The central problem, as analyzed in Israel, is that while Trump is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he has not promised to remove the threat posed by surface-to-surface missiles, which Israel has also rightly defined as an existential threat. As a result, much will depend on the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump at the end of the month.

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Until now, Wegovy has been available only as a once-weekly injection. Clinical trial data show that the pill version led to an average weight loss of about 13.6% of body weight over roughly 71 weeks, a result close to the roughly 15% average reduction seen with the injectable form. Physicians caution, however, that results in tightly controlled clinical trials do not always fully reflect real world use, where outcomes may be lower, and in some cases higher.

The pill is expected to be marketed in the US early next year. In Israel, it is expected to arrive only later in the year, and possibly not until 2027.

Unlike the injection, the oral version contains a significantly higher dose of semaglutide, the active ingredient also used in Ozempic and Wegovy. The higher dosage is required because only a small portion of the drug is absorbed when taken through the digestive system.

An oral semaglutide drug already exists. Rybelsus, primarily prescribed for diabetes, is taken in pill form but has a maximum dose of 14 milligrams and typically leads to more modest weight loss. The new Wegovy pill delivers 25 milligrams of semaglutide, compared with a maximum dose of 2.4 milligrams in the injectable version, and was developed specifically to treat obesity.

Advantages and drawbacks

One of the pill's main advantages is convenience, especially for patients who are afraid of needles or struggle to adhere to regular injections. On the downside, the pill must be taken immediately upon waking, on an empty stomach, with no food or drink for 30 minutes afterward. Some physicians believe this requirement could make long-term adherence more difficult.

A competing drug, orforglipron, developed by Eli Lilly and expected to reach the market in the coming months, is not expected to carry similar restrictions, which could give it a significant advantage over the Wegovy pill.

In terms of safety, side effects observed with the pill were similar to those seen with injectable GLP-1 drugs, primarily nausea and vomiting. In Wegovy's clinical trial, about 7% of participants discontinued treatment due to side effects, a rate similar to that seen in the placebo group. Trials of orforglipron showed a slightly higher discontinuation rate.

What will it cost?

Producing pills is generally cheaper than manufacturing injectable drugs. The company said the lower-dose Wegovy pill will be sold in the US for about $149 per month. Pricing details for higher doses are expected to be released later. It is still unclear what the price will be in Israel.

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Ann Maya, Boomi CTO for the EMEA region

Prediction 1 - Software 3.0 Moves From Concept to Reality in the Enterprise

In 2026 we will see the first major shift into an era defined by Software 3.0, where the new coding norm is English and backend capabilities are powered by AI agents. As protocols like MCP, A2A, ACP and ACN gain prominence, enterprises will begin combining software components with far greater ease. This increased simplicity will make secure, robust and adaptable composability a critical architectural priority. For large organisations, AI-driven low-code integration will become the essential foundation that holds these new systems together.

Over the coming year, real ROI will come from businesses that actively redesign their processes, so AI can support the stages where it adds the most value, rather than applying AI reactively or experimentally. Low-code integration platforms will allow organisations to orchestrate governed APIs, trusted business data and rule-based workflows alongside AI agents. This will create a new operational model where AI handles labour-intensive or complex tasks with clear guardrails, while deterministic workflows provide the visibility and control required for enterprise reliability.

As a result, 2026 will be the year enterprises shift from experimenting with AI features to building AI-empowered processes. Organisations that embrace this model will become more adaptive, more efficient and better positioned to innovate as Software 3.0 becomes the norm.

Prediction 2 - 2026: The Year AI Must Become Explainable

In 2026 major AI regulatory frameworks will move from theory to practice, particularly the EU AI Act and the UK's Data Use and Access Act. At the same time, many organisations across EMEA will attempt to shift generative AI pilot projects into production. This convergence will lead to a growing focus on risk assessment, traceability, data quality and the ability to observe how AI operates inside the business.

As expectations rise, organisations will move away from rigid legacy tooling and toward a more dynamic, data-driven approach to governance. This includes live observability across data and APIs, policy enforcement applied at runtime as conditions change, and federated governance that ensures business rules and compliance requirements are consistently applied across different domains. These capabilities create the trusted data foundation that AI agents need to carry out tasks.

Steve Lucas, Chair and CEO, Boomi, Board Member

In 2026, the Winners Will Be the Ones Who Activate AI, Not Just Invest in It

It should be crystal clear by now that the world has changed. Three years after the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI ignited a global shift. AI is no longer just a headline, it's a boardroom imperative. Investor confidence remains high with global AI spend projected to surpass $500 billion by 2027, according to IDC. But optimism alone doesn't deliver outcomes. The real challenge in 2026 will be converting the experiments and pilots that businesses have been conducting in 2025 into operational value.

To activate AI, enterprises must go beyond standalone models and embed AI into their core systems, trusted data, and real-world workflows. That's where agentic automation comes in. It's not about deploying AI for novelty's sake. It's about enabling intelligent agents to collaborate, reason, and act with context and control.

In 2026, the companies that pull ahead will be those that shift focus from proof-of-concept to platform strategy, delivering orchestrated, secure, and scalable AI that's built into the fabric of how businesses operate. Those are the businesses that will be embracing – and leading – our new world.

Agentic Automation Will Define the Next Era of Business in 2026

In 2026, competitive advantage won't come from simply automating faster. It will come from orchestrating intelligently. We're entering the era of agentic automation, where AI agents no longer just execute instructions. They collaborate, reason, and adapt in real time to accelerate decision-making and outcomes. According to IDC, 85% of enterprises will have deployed AI agents by the end of 2025, and those that activate them effectively will lead the way in agility, resilience, and innovation. But unlocking this potential requires more than AI alone. It demands a unified foundation where data, applications, and agents work seamlessly and securely together. That's how you turn AI from a tactical tool into a strategic advantage.

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Feldstein first described the incident during an interrogation on November 7, 2024, but at the time refused to identify the person who had met with him and informed him about the investigation. He told investigators that it involved "a very senior figure, a crazy Pandora's box that would affect everyone, and it is really dangerous to say." When asked whether the person was a military officer, Feldstein replied: "Not a military man, one of the most powerful people in the country."

It is important to note that Feldstein gave this version only once during questioning and did not repeat it afterward. He also told investigators that the same "senior figure" arrived accompanied by two or three security guards who did not hear the content of the conversation.

According to Feldstein, the figure in question, whom he has now identified as Braverman, promised that he could silence the leak in his own way. When investigators pressed him to explain what he meant, Feldstein asked: "Do you know what the poison machine is?" He said that "they," referring to the Prime Minister's Office, "threw him to the dogs," and that he feared physical harm to himself and his family. He added that both he and his father had received messages warning him not to speak.

Investigators sought to assess the credibility of his account and asked whether there was any documentation of the meeting. Feldstein replied that there was none, no cameras and no record of a security badge transfer. A source familiar with the investigation said this version was not thoroughly examined, as Feldstein changed his account several times.

In a response issued on behalf of Netanyahu's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, it was stated: "Feldstein is lying and inventing stories that never happened. Feldstein's claim that the chief of staff offered to intervene in or influence the investigation is another false fabrication. The chief of staff has no influence, and cannot have any influence, over ongoing investigations. Feldstein was offered a position as a spokesperson. For that purpose, he was sent for a security suitability check, which he failed, and his candidacy was immediately disqualified."

The statement added: "The chief of staff learned of the investigation only when it was reported in the media, and only then did he first learn of the connection between Feldstein and Rosenfeld. The chief of staff did not know Rosenfeld, never met him, and had no connection to him whatsoever."

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Alaei made the remarks Saturday, stating, "If the country's intelligence service was properly focused on Israeli activity, it should have been updated on plans to assassinate Iranian commanders and scientists by aircraft."

According to the former IRGC Navy commander, the events of Operation Rising Lion demonstrated that Iran's government has not organized its intelligence apparatus "in a manner matching the intelligence and security efforts and operations of Israel."

He said he sees a need to "rebuild and deliberately focus" the Islamic Republic's intelligence organizations, adding that current institutions "do not respond to the type and level of threats" posed by Israel.

The former IRGC Navy commander continued his remarks by describing Mossad as "one of the world's strongest security and intelligence agencies." Allaei criticized the Islamic Republic's intelligence structure, saying, "In some cases, people who were known as Israeli targets all lived in the same tower, which allowed Israel to strike the building and be sanctified from the punishment of several people simultaneously."

He added that the two main institutions, the Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC Intelligence, are both involved in "internal security issues" and focus on Israel, while this model clearly has not borne fruit and has not shown the required effectiveness. Allaei proposed that one of these two institutions should focus entirely and exclusively on Israel. Earlier in October, he acknowledged the incompetence of the Islamic Republic's intelligence and security services against Israel.

These statements come against the backdrop of increased speculation in recent days regarding the future of the Islamic Republic's nuclear and missile programs and how the United States and Israel will respond to them.

This is not the first time that officials and figures identified with the Islamic Republic have recognized Israel's superiority in the 12-day war. On December 17, Masoud Pezeshkian, president of the Islamic Republic, announced that during the 12-day war, Israel had missile superiority.

He said in this context, "It is true that there were our missiles, but their missiles were more numerous, stronger, more accurate, and more convenient. It is the people who disappointed them."

On December 19, Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of parliament's National Security Committee, called the doctors' statements "unprofessional" and told them, "Weakening the country's defense capabilities is a mistake."

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The SV party, the most anti-Israel party in the Norwegian parliament, which demanded that Norway's sovereign wealth fund divest from Israel and conditioned support for any future government on imposing a boycott on Israel, held a controversial candle-lighting ceremony during Hanukkah.

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Even before speakers took the stage, the conference reflected a deeper struggle over the soul of the American right, a battle waged in recent months between competing streams within the MAGA camp. On one side stands the conservative-establishment stream, emphasizing clear ideological boundaries and opposition to antisemitism and conspiracy theories, while on the other side, a more populist and isolationist wing views such criticism as an attempt at silencing and enforcing uniformity – even from figures who clearly slide into openly antisemitic and anti-Israel territory.

The rift spilled outside the conference hall, including into central power centers in Washington, as the Heritage Foundation publicly rushed to defend Tucker Carlson amid criticism he received following interviews he conducted with antisemitic figures and faced substantial criticism from inside and outside. This transformed the confrontation not just into a personal dispute between commentators, but into a principled clash over the identity of the conservative movement, the boundaries of its legitimacy, and the direction it is heading in the Trump era and beyond.

Video: Vice President J.D. Vance's speech as Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro clash. Credit: Turning Point

On opening night, the depth of the rift was exposed when conservative commentator Ben Shapiro took the stage and launched a frontal attack on central figures in the populist right, led by Tucker Carlson, the hard-right figure who has expressed harsh positions against Israel, frequently crossed the line into antisemitic conspiracy theories, and in October even hosted a declared antisemite and Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes.

Shapiro warned that "the conservative movement is in serious danger," not only from the left, but from "charlatans who claim they speak in the name of principles, but actually traffic in conspiracies and dishonesty." He repeatedly invoked the late Kirk, arguing that "there's a reason Charlie Kirk loathed Nick Fuentes… he knew that building up his persona is an act of moral folly, and that's exactly what Tucker Carlson did."

Shapiro added that "whoever gives a platform to a Holocaust denier and Nazi lover must take responsibility," and made clear that for him this is a moral red line. The remarks were met with applause, but also with jeers from parts of the audience.

Carlson, who has been using his powerful platform to echo the messages of America's enemies and antisemitic and anti-Israel voices, took the stage shortly after Shapiro's speech.

He responded with direct and clear barbs. Without mentioning Shapiro's name, he mocked calls for "de-platforming" at a conference bearing Charlie Kirk's name, saying that "hearing calls for silencing and condemnation at such an event is ridiculous." He said, "The entire so-called internal war on the right is completely fake." Later, he also addressed claims about antisemitism, declaring: "Antisemitism is immoral. In my religion, hating people because of how they were born is a sin. Period."

However, Carlson emphasized that, in his view, there is an attempt to use moral accusations to silence debate, and argued that the way to deal with extremist speakers is public debate, not a boycott, a statement made in direct response to the harsh criticism Shapiro voiced earlier. Later in the conference, populist right ideologue Steve Bannon spoke harshly against Shapiro, calling him "a cancer metastasizing" in the American right.

Into the charged atmosphere entered Vice President J.D. Vance's speech, who was perceived at the conference not just as a representative of the administration, but as a key figure in the next generation of American right leadership. Vance emerged from those same populist and ideological circles that fueled the rise of the MAGA camp and has maintained close ties over the years with the Turning Point USA movement and with the late Charlie Kirk. At the conference, and especially against the backdrop of Kirk's death, Vance was presented to many as someone expected to play a central role in leading the movement in the coming years, and even as a candidate to lead the Republican Party in the post-Donald Trump era.

Vance also directly addressed the internal rift on the right around Israel, antisemitism, and the confrontations between figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, and tried to present a conciliatory line. "I didn't bring a list of conservatives to denounce and deplatform," he said, adding that "We have far more important work to do than canceling each other."

Vance declared that in the Trump era "we don't need to apologize anymore for being white," as part of an attack on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion policies), and emphasized that America must judge citizens by "who they are and what they contribute." He repeated the isolationist line that the United States must focus on its internal affairs and avoid unnecessary foreign involvement.

Vance went further when he declared that "Christianity is the founding faith of America," and argued that for decades "the left has been waging war against Christianity in the public sphere." He said, "In a society that expelled God, a vacuum was created, and that vacuum was filled with destructive ideologies." He indirectly connected progressive culture to political violence, saying that "this is exactly why we must fight them."

Also appearing at the event was none other than pop star Nicki Minaj, who took the stage for an interview with Kirk's widow, Erika. Minaj made headlines recently after calling on President Trump to intervene in the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

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"They hurt my son at the hotel entrance in Cyprus – and everyone disappeared," the young man's father wrote on social media. "My son, a young Israeli, was violently attacked at the entrance of the hotel where he was staying in Cyprus. Not on the street. Not in a bar. At the hotel entrance – a place that's supposed to be safe and secure.

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