The National Interest Foundation Newsletter
Issue 313, December 12, 2025
Welcome to our NIF Newsletter. In this week’s edition, we examine Israel’s allocation of over $830 million to expand illegal West Bank settlements, delve into Syria marking the one-year anniversary since the fall of the Assad regime, and explore Israel’s hosting of 1,000 Evangelical ministers for a state-run propaganda mission.
Editor: Bassam Tarbush
Israel Allocates Over $830 Million to Expand Illegal West Bank Settlements
Israeli officials have announced a government plan to allocate around 2.7 billion shekels – the equivalent of more than $830 million – for both the establishment and expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank over the coming years. The move has been highlighted as a blatant attempt by Israeli authorities to entrench occupation in complete defiance of international law. The global community universally regards these settlements as unlawful due to their construction on illegally occupied Palestinian territory. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and other international bodies have repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions. In fact, just last week, the UNGA overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding an end to the illegal occupation and settlement activities. Yet, instead of complying, Israel has again decided to continue accelerating its unlawful policies as it glaringly seeks to undermine prospects for peace.
This year has marked an unprecedented one for illegal Israeli settlement plans and approvals in the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities advanced or approved more than 20,000 housing units between June and September of 2025 alone, while the number of units green-lighted by April of this year during the first several months of 2025 (an excess of 14,000) had already surpassed the total number of approvals for the entirety of 2024. Human rights groups estimate that the current Israeli government is on pace to approve over 50,000 housing units by the end of this year – a figure which would amount to more than the previous five years combined. Furthermore, the number of housing units for which tenders have been published reached an all-time high of approximately 5,600 units this year – a whopping nearly 50% increase compared to the previous record of around 3,800 units back in 2018. Now, with the new government plan to allocate more than $830 million, Israeli authorities are intent on establishing 17 new paramilitary settlements and expanding dozens more through infrastructure development and financial incentives like tax breaks.
The significant uptick in illegal Israeli settlement expansion actions and initiatives has been driven by a desire to undermine the potential for genuine advancements in the peace process. High-level Israeli ministers like Bezalel Smotrich have blatantly expressed their intention to obstruct the prospect of Palestinian statehood, with further settlement expansion serving as a means for them to hinder the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state. The plans to push new unlawful settlements, such as the widely condemned E1 project, are rightly seen by the international community as an overt attempt to sever the territorial link of Palestinian lands – making a state unviable. Analysts have pointed to policies and actions under the current Israeli government which demonstrate an increasing alignment with the settler movement. The government has expedited the settlement approval process, holding more frequent meetings that have resulted in the aforementioned record number of approvals over the past year. They have also enacted legislation to enable Israeli citizens to purchase land in the occupied West Bank and facilitate construction – efforts openly aimed at “integrating” the illegally occupied territory into the framework of Israel. Lastly, observers have outlined that the coinciding rise in settler violence is not a mere happenstance. This has been enabled by authorities as well as a state-sponsored mechanism for illegal settlement expansion and the attempted displacement of Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.
Despite widespread global condemnation regarding the illegality of Israeli settlements, a lack of accountability and impactful punitive measures has allowed Israel to continue defying international law. The general absence of decisive action has effectively fostered a climate of impunity whereby Israeli authorities feel emboldened to push plans like the recent massive financial allocation for illegal settlement expansion. This persistent lack of accountability for unlawful actions has meant that denunciation, while nearly unanimous, has largely remained symbolic and failed to deter Israel from creating circumstances on the ground that further entrench its illegal occupation. In the face of continuing and deepening violations, meaningful actions like sanctions, embargoes, and the suspension of ties and agreements are needed that would actually affect Israel’s ability to sustain its unlawful occupation and settlement enterprise.
Syria Marks the One-Year Anniversary Since the Fall of the Assad Regime
Earlier this week, Syrians jubilantly gathered in massive numbers across the country to mark the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime. Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa addressed large crowds in the capital city of Damascus, declaring that the nation had “turned the page from a dark chapter” and vowing to build an inclusive and stable state while ensuring accountability through a process of transitional justice for those who committed crimes under the former despot. Now, over a full year after the deposing of Assad, Syria is in the midst of a fragile but hopeful transitional period. The country has made significant strides towards international reintegration as well as progress aimed at economic recovery. Under the new government, diplomatic relations have been restored with major global actors including the United States, and many longstanding sanctions have been lifted or suspended in an effort to aid economic and societal reconstruction. While there are certainly also challenges that lie ahead, Syria sits at a pivotal juncture. Many have outlined that it possesses an opportunity to create a stable future, but that the success of this will largely depend on its ability to secure sustained international support for the monumental task of rebuilding the nation.
There have been indicators that recent progress has been made in various areas. Just last month in November, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that the Syrian economy is showing signs of recovery. Additionally, the World Bank has forecasted overall growth for the country’s economy this year in 2025. Much of this has been attributed to the easing of sanctions, improved consumer and investor sentiment, the return of refugees who fled the repression and violence under the previous regime, and the new government’s monetary policies. Furthermore, key international economic organizations like the IMF have committed to providing Syria with intensive engagement and technical assistance to help improve its fiscal frameworks. Domestically, efforts have been initiated to restore essential services, including improvements in electricity production and infrastructure renovations. With respect to the former, major population centers such as Damascus, Aleppo, and Hama have been receiving substantial improvements in electricity supply due to expansive structural repairs. Regarding the latter, observers have highlighted the renovation of over 800 schools around the country and that additional work was continuing on at least this many more throughout Syria.
Since the fall of the Assad regime last December, Syria has undergone a rapid and significant international reintegration as well – shifting from a pariah state under Assad to one with expanding relations among key actors on the global stage. This reintegration process has been marked by the lifting of most sanctions and the re-establishment of diplomatic ties. Firstly, Syria’s membership in the Arab League was fully restored back in May, after being suspended in 2011. This represented a noteworthy regional shift and set the stage for individual nations to restore ties. Additionally, Syrian President Al-Sharaa has engaged in high-level diplomacy, including a momentous visit to the White House last month – the first of its kind – and a historic address to the United Nations General Assembly in September. Both of these in particular demonstrated the extent of Syria’s re-emergence on the world stage following decades of isolation under Assad. On top of this, the United States, the European Union, and others have dismantled most of the economic sanctions that have crippled Syria for years. The U.S. formally terminated its main Syria sanctions program in June, while new waivers were issued for the Caesar Act sanctions – with full repeal pending in Congress. The European Union also lifted most economic sanctions, removing bans on oil imports, investment in the energy sector, and banking restrictions.
Ultimately, the end of decades of repressive rule has created an opportunity for building a stable and inclusive Syria. A transitional government has been established, a five-year interim constitution has been adopted, and efforts have been made towards economic recovery and international reintegration. Moving forward, some of the helpful continued steps that the new government can take include setting clear timelines and metrics for measuring incremental improvements, securing the funds and international support needed for reconstruction initiatives, and alleviating economic and humanitarian conditions for a population devastated by years of conflict and repression. All of these can play a major role in bolstering the legitimacy of the government among ordinary Syrians and therefore maximize the prospects of a successful transition and a stable Syria.
Israel Hosts 1,000 Evangelical Ministers for a State-Run Propaganda Mission
Israel recently hosted a delegation of around 1,000 U.S. Evangelical ministers and pastors for a state-run propaganda mission. The all-expenses-paid visit was organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sought to promote and spread a skewed Israeli state narrative to the American public – at a time when justifiable criticism of Israel’s conduct and actions has grown globally, including in the United States. Observers have pointed to how the event is clearly a reaction to the organic and widespread rise in worldwide denunciation of Israel’s behavior, with Israeli officials trying to “equip” and “train” the ministers with biased and disingenuous narratives in an effort to counter this. Advocacy groups, rights organizations, and other critics have therefore understandably labeled the hosting as a blatant propaganda mission. The week-long event also comes amid discovery that Israel is running a massive geofencing campaign designed to target American churchgoers with similar pro-Israeli propaganda. Thus, concerns have been raised about the invasive, manipulative, and unethical nature of a foreign government-led initiative covertly surveilling and targeting Americans with propaganda as well.
Revelations detailed in U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings have shed light on Israel’s contracting of an American company in order to run a multi-million-dollar digital campaign using geofencing technology to target attendees at hundreds of churches within the United States. The campaign involves creating a virtual boundary around physical locations and then targeting mobile devices that enter the area – allowing them to be sent ads, propaganda, and messaging even after they later leave the location. The scheme links to the recent Israeli hosting of Evangelical ministers and influencers due to the fact that it also consists of tactics such as “hiring celebrity spokespeople and paying pastors to produce pro-Israeli content.” The makeup of the campaign demonstrates Israel’s intent to bombard, indoctrinate, and propagandize ministers, influencers, and even ordinary churchgoers. It also seems to acknowledge that Israel is increasingly facing condemnation and backlash over its conduct, given that it is now resorting to measures like this in order to try and combat the immense justifiable criticism and waning support.
One of the elements surrounding the propaganda campaign that is particularly alarming is the scope of it, as the plan lays out “different messages for different targeted church populations,” highlighting the desire to influence various sectors of the Christian community and not just traditionally supportive Evangelicals. With this, the geotargeting includes specific messaging for younger Christians, women, and Catholic churches, among others. The mere fact that a foreign government would target such a wide array of Americans with state-pushed propaganda should elicit concern as to its motivations for doing so. As has also been pointed out by analysts, this would certainly raise red flags if it had been a foreign entity like the Chinese, Iranian, or Russian government seeking to inundate Americans with propaganda. Therefore, equal and consistent outrage is warranted towards Israel for these tactics too. This is especially deserved considering that Israel faces an ongoing genocide case at the world’s highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – as well as active arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for several top officials including its incumbent prime minister. Clear evidence of egregious human rights violations and war crimes are what obviously prompted these aforementioned arrest warrants and genocide case so the fact that Israel is attempting to sway narratives in spite of this is incredibly deplorable.
All told, the Israeli government-run efforts to spread propaganda and misinformation within the United States have rightfully drawn criticism over foreign interference and privacy invasion concerns. As civil liberties organizations have drawn attention to, it is regrettable for a foreign government to target American churchgoers with surveillance-based propaganda and influence operations – something which undoubtedly compromises the independence and integrity of religious leaders. Not only is this being done in an attempt to completely suppress legitimate and organic growing levels of denunciation towards Israel for its actions, but it is also being covertly carried out without the knowledge or consent of the churches or their congregants. As such, these operations have justifiably led to calls for federal authorities to investigate potential violations of U.S. law and protect Americans’ freedom to assemble without the threat of foreign surveillance or meddling.
