DAY 653 OF THE WAR: US Urges Israel to Halt Actions in Syria; Hostage Negotiations at a Crawl; MK Ayman Odeh Attacked; Netanyahu Trial Delayed, Again
Tel Aviv Diary, July 20, 2025
For three days, uncertainty and confusion have reigned over the escalating violence in southern Syria. One moment, reports suggest that a ceasefire has been brokered—that government forces have successfully halted the fighting, whether with the Druze or between the Druze and Bedouin factions, whose clashes appear central to the conflict. Yet moments later, fresh accounts emerge of renewed bloodshed, including alleged massacres targeting Druze civilians. Disturbing footage circulating online shows Druze men being humiliated and forced to act like dogs. The situation on the ground remains fluid, unclear, and deeply alarming
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What is clear amid the chaos is that Israel’s Druze community is demanding decisive action from the Israeli government—though even within the community, there is uncertainty about what that action should entail. Over the past two days, some Druze crossed into Syria to help defend their kin, though most have since returned.
The Trump administration is urging Israel to halt its involvement. According to reports, some U.S. officials view Prime Minister Netanyahu’s conduct as increasingly erratic, accusing him of “bombing everything in sight.” Israel’s response to the unfolding crisis in Syria appears to be growing more kinetic—driven largely by airpower.
What Israel hoped to accomplish by bombing Damascus remains unclear—beyond delivering a forceful message. In the Middle East, perhaps that still passes for diplomacy.
The broader questions remain unresolved: Who is Syria’s president today? Is he truly a reformed former ISIS fighter or simply a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Is he in control of “his people” or is he merely turning a blind eye to the violence? For the Druze—long regarded as heretics by extremist Islamic factions—they are being targeted, once again, with brutal consequences. I don’t know what to expect in the coming days. In hindsight, perhaps the signs were there. Yet the speed and severity of this crisis still feel wholly unexpected.
GAZA AND HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS
The war in Gaza shows no sign of ending. Day after day, Israeli troops continue the slow, painstaking task of dismantling Hamas’s tunnel network—an operation that inevitably involves the demolition of countless buildings.
The toll is relentless. Each day brings new casualties: Israeli soldiers are wounded daily, some critically. Every few days, another name is added to the growing list of lives lost. It has now been two weeks since Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington—a trip that many hoped would mark a turning point, perhaps even the beginning of the war’s end. But those hopes have dimmed as negotiations in Doha continue to stall. A sizable Israeli delegation remains there on the ground, still officially engaged in talks, but progress appears elusive.
Today, a senior Israeli official suggested that a breakthrough could be reached by the end of the week—but what does that actually mean? The statement was met with skepticism, including from a well-regarded Israeli correspondent in Washington who said he sees no signs that a deal is imminent.
Frankly, I’m at a loss. The mood in Israel is one of growing frustration. There is near-unanimous consensus: the war must end. Yet negotiations continue at a glacial pace. This time, however, the holdup may not lie with Israel. According to reports from Washington, Hamas has been slow—perhaps even unable—to reach internal consensus on the proposed terms.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of parts of Deir al-Balah—home to Gaza’s central refugee camps. This marks the first time during the war that Israel plans to conduct operations in this area. The move has sparked concern among families of hostages. Until now, Israel had refrained from entering Deir al-Balah, amid fears that captives might be held there. The military now claims it has reliable intelligence indicating no hostages remain in that zone. Whether that assessment proves accurate remains to be seen—we must hope it is so. On the battlefield, targeted strikes continue. Nearly every day brings reports of another Hamas commander eliminated.
On Thursday night, an Israeli shell struck Gaza’s only church, killing two people. The incident The incident drew immediate fallout: As noted in Thursday’s Tel Aviv Diary update, President Trump reportedly phoned Prime Minister Netanyahu that evening. The following day, Pope Leo joined the chorus of concern, calling Netanyahu personally to urge an end to the fighting and appeal to all sides for restraint.
The civilian toll continues to rise. This afternoon reports emerged that 70 Palestinians were killed while waiting for an aid truck in northern Gaza. As the war grinds on, the human cost—borne by civilians, soldiers, and the region’s already fragile moral conscience—continues to escalate, with no resolution in sight.
MK AYMAN ODEH ATTACKED IN NESS ZIONA
Tensions flared last night in Ness Ziona, when head of the Joint Arab list Ayman Odeh arrived to speak— and was met by a hostile crowd. Protesters surrounded his vehicle, shattered the windshield, and shouted violent chants, including “Death to Arabs.”
Despite clear video evidence showing the attackers, police arrested three individuals who were not directly involved in the violence. A judge later ordered their release and issued a sharp rebuke of law enforcement, criticizing the failure to apprehend those clearly identified in the footage.
The incident has further fueled criticism of the authorities—particularly as no arrests have yet been made in the killing of an American teenager in the West Bank. That case was publicly raised by U.S. Ambassador Huckabee in remarks on Friday.
NETANYAHU TRIAL POSTPONED, AGAIN
Whether coincidental or not, the coming three days were slated to be the final sessions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his ongoing corruption trial before the court's summer recess. However, over the past month, he has appeared on the witness stand only once—despite being scheduled to testify twice a week.
Each delay has been accompanied by official explanations citing pressing national security concerns, including his trip to Washington and the escalating conflict with Iran. But at the core of the repeated postponements lies a deeper issue: Netanyahu’s apparent reluctance to undergo cross-examination by state prosecutors, a pivotal phase of the trial he seems keen to avoid.
Today brought another twist. Netanyahu was notably absent from the weekly cabinet meeting, with his office announcing he was suffering from food poisoning and would require two days of rest at home. He subsequently petitioned the court to be excused from this week’s testimony—a request the judges, faced with little choice, approved.
As a result, Netanyahu has succeeded in deferring further questioning until at least September, after the court’s summer recess. Whether proceedings will resume seamlessly where they left off—and whether the judges will retain a clear recollection of the testimony thus far—remains to be seen.
TODAY’S ZOOM BRIEFING
ECONOMY
According to the Q2 2025 High-Tech Report by IVC and Leumitech, Israeli technology companies raised $2.97 billion across 98 deals during the second quarter of the year. In total, Israeli high-tech companies raised more than $5 billion in the first half of 2025—the first time this milestone has been reached since the second half of 2022, when $5.23 billion was raised across 200 deals.
Five large deals, each exceeding $100 million, accounted for 44% of the total capital raised. IVC estimates that the actual amount raised in Q2 may ultimately reach approximately $4 billion across 191 deals, with final figures expected to be updated within 18 to 24 months.
ISRAEL’S NEXT AERIAL REFUELING TANKERS: BOEING OR IAI?
As Israel considers the future of its aerial refueling capabilities, a familiar aircraft returns to the spotlight: the Boeing 707. These converted tankers, known as “Re’em” in the Israeli Air Force (IAF), have been the backbone of the country’s long-range strike capability for decades. I had the opportunity to fly aboard one of these very 707s during my service in the Air Force in 1977. Even then, the aircraft was a workhorse—rugged, reliable, and essential to operations requiring reach far beyond Israel’s borders. Today, those same airframes—now heavily modified—continue to support extended operations over Iran, Yemen, and beyond.
Israel has already placed an order with Boeing for four KC–46 Pegasus tankers at a cost of approximately $930 million, with the first aircraft expected to arrive in 2026. The U.S. government has approved the sale of up to eight aircraft, and the question now facing Israeli defense officials is whether to procure the remaining four from Boeing or turn to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to convert Boeing 767s domestically. IAI, which originally converted the aging 707s, argues that it can offer a more cost-effective and strategically autonomous solution—while also preserving vital national industrial capabilities.
This debate comes amid a broader Israeli push for greater defense independence. Since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, the Ministry of Defense has increasingly prioritized domestic production across multiple platforms—from naval vessels and drones to satellites. IAI’s proposal to build future refuelers in Israel aligns with this strategic shift.
As someone who once flew aboard the very aircraft now being phased out, I see both continuity and transformation at play. This isn’t just about replacing old planes—it’s about ensuring that Israel’s long arm can operate without having to reach for foreign permission slips.
OPENAI AND PROGRESS AT ALL COSTS
As some of you know, one of my longstanding concerns—separate from Israel and the challenges we currently face—is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). I’ve written and spoken extensively about this on the podcast, and as a regular user of multiple AI platforms, I recognize both their power and their promise. However, I remain deeply concerned by the potential long-term impact AI may have on future generations—our children and grandchildren.
I had considered creating a separate newsletter dedicated to the reflections of a 70-year-old man on the rise of AI. However, my wife wisely, reminded me that I already have more than enough on my plate. While I occasionally touch on the topic in the podcast, I wanted to share a recent post by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman—one that, in my view, deserves our close attention.
The selections I’ve highlighted in bold I believe warrant our closest attention. I’ll share my thoughts on Altman’s post in the section that follows:
Today we launched a new product called ChatGPT Agent.
Agent represents a new level of capability for AI systems and can accomplish some remarkable, complex tasks for you using its own computer. It combines the spirit of Deep Research and Operator, but is more powerful than that may sound—it can think for a long time, use some tools, think some more, take some actions, think some more, etc. For example, we showed a demo in our launch of preparing for a friend’s wedding: buying an outfit, booking travel, choosing a gift, etc. We also showed an example of analyzing data and creating a presentation for work.
Although the utility is significant, so are the potential risks.
We have built a lot of safeguards and warnings into it, and broader mitigations than we’ve ever developed before from robust training to system safeguards to user controls, but we can’t anticipate everything. In the spirit of iterative deployment, we are going to warn users heavily and give users freedom to take actions carefully if they want to.
I would explain this to my own family as cutting edge and experimental; a chance to try the future, but not something I’d yet use for high-stakes uses or with a lot of personal information until we have a chance to study and improve it in the wild.
We don’t know exactly what the impacts are going to be, but bad actors may try to “trick” users’ AI agents into giving private information they shouldn’t and take actions they shouldn’t, in ways we can’t predict. We recommend giving agents the minimum access required to complete a task to reduce privacy and security risks.
For example, I can give Agent access to my calendar to find a time that works for a group dinner. But I don’t need to give it any access if I’m just asking it to buy me some clothes.
There is more risk in tasks like “Look at my emails that came in overnight and do whatever you need to do to address them, don’t ask any follow up questions”. This could lead to untrusted content from a malicious email tricking the model into leaking your data.
We think it’s important to begin learning from contact with reality, and that people adopt these tools carefully and slowly as we better quantify and mitigate the potential risks involved. As with other new levels of capability, society, the technology, and the risk mitigation strategy will need to co-evolve.
For those who haven’t seen Altman’s post, here’s a quick summary:
First, let’s define what is meant by an “agent.” An agent is an autonomous entity capable of making its own decisions based on its environment or goals. In this context, an agent refers to an independent instance of ChatGPT assigned to carry out specific tasks—such as making airline reservations, arranging airport pickups, and securing hotel accommodations upon my arrival. Once programmed, the agent independently executes these functions.
Now, I must express my concerns regarding this post. By Altman’s own acknowledgment of the potential risks associated with these agents. Despite this awareness, he has chosen to release the technology to the general public. Has he ever considered conducting a closed beta test first? What justifies using the general public to serve as his guinea pigs with such powerful tools?
Progress at all costs is extremely dangerous. Advancing without restraint is not bravery—It is recklessness. Moreover, progress pursued blindly can pave the road to ruin.