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Continued operations on Islamic Republic of Iran, proxies , May 4 2026+ - sources: Pt II (view source)
Revision as of 11:15, August 18, 2026
, August 18Created page with "Sources, part 2 for: Continued operations on Islamic Republic of Iran, proxies , May 4 2026+ This is a continuation of [Continued operations on Islamic Republic of Iran,..."
Sources, part 2 for:
[[Continued operations on Islamic Republic of Iran, proxies , May 4 2026+]]
This is a continuation of [Continued operations on Islamic Republic of Iran, proxies , May 4 2026+ - sources Part 1].
<small>
==Part 1==
'Peace first, war later': Arab state urged potential Israel partner to sign deal before launching war.
Aug 10, 2026.
Arab state reportedly urged another potential Israel-normalization country to sign deal with Israel, then go to war ‘when time is right’
i24NEWS. August 10, 2026.
Information cleared for publication by the Israeli military has revealed a reported exchange between several countries in the region over a possible agreement with Israel, according to reports by Israeli media Kan 11 and Channel 12.
According to the reports, one Arab state allegedly advised another country to first sign an agreement with Israel and then, if circumstances became more favorable, launch a war against the Jewish state.
identity of the country that received the advice remains classified.
The revelations come as the Middle East undergoes major strategic shifts. The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020, established diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Morocco and Sudan later joining the normalization process, although Sudan’s agreement was never fully implemented.
The latest developments also come after Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the “Mecca Pact,” a defense agreement under which an attack against one member would be considered an attack against all three.
UAE restores ties with Tehran while deepening Israel alliance
UAE restores ties with Tehran while deepening Israel alliance Iran subsequently warned that the agreement would not guarantee Saudi Arabia’s security. Turkey’s foreign minister responded that the alliance was not directed against Tehran and said Egypt was considering joining the pact, potentially expanding the arrangement into a four-country defense alliance
[https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/artc-peace-first-war-later-arab-state-urged-potential-israel-partner-to-sign-peace-deal-before-launching-war i24]
They are for war (Ps.120:7).
What happens when an official in one of the countries in the region advises an official in another country to pursue a peace agreement with Israel in order to "stun" it in preparation for a future campaign against it? As expected, Israeli intelligence recognizes this and, in a rare case, also approves of publishing the unusual discourse. An expert also explains to "Center of Affairs" the Israeli tactics.
By Avraham Cohen.
The dramatic consultation that was recently revealed by the State of Israel caused a fierce storm among the political and security leadership in Israel. Last week, the matter was allowed to be published, without relevant names, and the State of Israel and the entire region were exposed to the dramatic event.
The consultation that was revealed was short, but explosive and dangerous. According to the report, which was first published in Kan News, an official in one of the countries in the region advised an official in another country to reach an agreement with Israel in order to "reject" Israel. During the conversation, the advisor suggested that the other party seek help after an "agreement" with Israel for a confrontation against it, while there was an official peace agreement between the countries. In fact, behind the recommendation was one senior official in the region who advised it to choose another country.
Although the conversation between the senior officials was supposed to take place in secret, Israel knew about the project all along.
Impact on preparations.
It was later revealed that Israel had known about the dramatic information for months, according to N12 reports, remarked that for a long time Israel was conducting itself while being aware of the content of the consultations, while the Western countries were unaware that the information had been revealed.
According to the report, the information significantly affects Israeli conduct with regional actors. It was also reported that the conversation between the two Arab countries dealt with a plan designed to oust Israel by signing a diplomatic agreement, while preparing for a major war and violating the agreement in the future.
It was also noted that the same discourse affects both Israeli assessments of the country that advised and the country that received the advice. Avraham concluded that "given that the entire event rests on alliances and the hope of expanding the circle of peace, one can understand what a chilling effect it had on elements on various fronts."
The reporter also reported that in the past week there have been changes in the balance of regional power, with a peace alliance being negotiated between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. The agreement between the parties, which was dubbed the "Mecca Agreement," included a triple defense, by virtue of which "an armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three."
Contacts.
At the same time, the State of Israel has been holding direct talks and contacts with the regime of Muhammad al-Sharaa for the past two years. Initially, it reached an agreement between the parties.
Al-Sharaa, who overthrew the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in just months and sentenced him to death just last week, has been presenting a new and revolutionary vision since coming to power. The man who is nurturing al-Qaeda's jihadist organizations has been presenting quite surprising positions since his election; he is adamant about wearing a caliphate, dismantling the White House and hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in his country with great fanfare.
Al-Sharaa also presents a quite surprising position. His foreign minister has met with senior Israeli officials on more than one occasion, and Al-Sharaa himself met with the Syrian Jewish community that currently lives in the United States during his visit to the country, as a sign of a change of direction on his part.
The new relations between Israel and Syria have been blocked from all sides, and those who are promoting the full-force obstruction are the Americans, who are known for their complete lack of familiarity with the mood in the Middle East. About a year ago, President Trump proposed that Israel join the Abraham Accords. Shortly before that, the Americans lifted the sanctions that were in place on Syria during the Assad era.
Despite Trump's proposal, it is reported that Israel negotiated with the United Arab Emirates to bring Syria into the Abraham Accords.
Several months later, the Syrian president said in an interview with the Jewish media outlet 'Jewish Journal' that he wanted to return to the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria, calling for it to begin with airstrikes on Syrian territory, and saying that Israel and Syria have common enemies.
Furthermore, the Syrian government headed by al-Sharaa did not condemn the Israeli attack on Iran, but rather strongly condemned the Iranian attack on the American base in Qatar. After Israel's first operation in Iran, senior Syrian officials said that direct dialogue was underway with Israel and that Syria was not considering a peace agreement until the end of US President Trump's term.
In this context, it is worth noting that the tightening relations are even more disturbing given that the Syrian president's main sponsor is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of Israel's most prominent regional rivals. Other regional leaders who support his rule are the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar.
Deception operations.
Returning to the revealed consultation. Israel, it is important to note, has repeatedly repeated similar moves in the past, most notably the horrific massacre on Simchat Torah 5774, which occurred in the midst of a period in which it was conducting dialogue with Hamas.
In a conversation with the Center for the Study of the State of Israel, expert on mind warfare, Dr. Ron Shleifer, notes that the announcement in Israel was made with deep thought and is indicative of the psychological war against those elements. "Israel," he claims, "shows here that it has vast information, and therefore an impressive deterrent power against the countries of the region, which also warns against revealing information that they would not want to be revealed by us."
[https://d9qzcm38j0qkz3.archive.ph/KRlv8/7efaba945807b04ea8b40563e8890fde91807527.jpg]
8.18.26
[https://disq.us/p/36hpjhy at EoZ]
____
==Part 11==
The Missing Context of Bibas Family Captor Terrorist Group in Mass Funeral Coverage.
Coverage of a mass funeral event in Gaza failed to disclose the terrorists being buried, and the involvement of the Mujahideen Brigades.
By HonestReporting Staff. August 10, 2026
The Missing Context of Bibas Family Captor Terrorist Group in Mass Funeral Coverage
Bibas Family bodies released.
Key Takeaways:
-A mass funeral was held last week in Gaza for members of the Abu Sharia family who died in November, 2023.
-The Abu Sharia clan is closely tied to the Mujahideen Movement, and key figures in the terrorist organization were killed in the incident.
The media failed to mention the slain terrorists, or the ties of the family to the organization that had held members of the Bibas family hostage.
[https://honestreporting.com/the-missing-context-of-bibas-family-captor-terrorist-group-in-mass-funeral-coverage/ HonestReporting]
___
Senior IRGC Official: Iran's Basij Told to Expand Operations Abroad | MEMRI.
August 11, 2026.
[https://www.memri.org/tv/mohammad-reza-naqdi-winning-war-not-enough-vengeance-khamenei-basij-operations-abroad MEMRI]
___
CNN panel devolves into chaos as Dems accuse GOP of ‘anti-Muslim’ attack on El-Sayed by using his full name.
By Taylor Herzlich, New York Post, August 11, 2026.
A CNN panel exploded in a heated clash Monday night after Dems accused Republicans of launching an “anti-Muslim” attack on Michigan Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed by running an ad campaign using his full name.
During “CNN NewsNight” with guest host Jon Berman, the panel discussed Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) defense of an ad campaign that blasts El-Sayed as a dangerous candidate and uses the controversial lefty pol’s full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
In an interview clip, the senator was asked whether the ads are an attempt to tell voters “hint, hint…he’s Muslim.” Scott responded, “Not at all … I can get called Timothy Eugene. I get called that all the time.”
After replaying the clip on CNN, Berman jibed, “I have never heard Tim Scott referred to as Timothy Eugene in a campaign ad.”
Niall Stanage, an Irish journalist and associate editor at The Hill, jumped in with a furious take on the GOP ad campaign.
“I don’t know how [Scott] says that with a straight face, honestly,” Stanage said. “The idea that using Tim Scott’s full name, unabbreviated, is equivalent to using Abdul El-Sayed’s full name is just ludicrous. It is obviously in El-Sayed’s case an appeal to anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment.”
Jason Rantz, a conservative radio host, sarcastically sniped: “People didn’t know he was Muslim until they said his full name.”….
[https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/media/cnn-panel-devolves-into-chaos-as-dems-accuse-gop-of-anti-muslim-attack-on-el-sayed-by-using-his-full-name/ NYPost]
___
Global campaign launched to counter claims of Israeli genocide in Gaza.
International Legal Forum and more than 35 other organizations argue the terrorist group has hijacked the term to spread 'a modern blood libel'.
Author of the article:By National Post Staff
Published Aug 11, 2026
[https://nationalpost.com/news/world/global-campaign-launched-to-counter-claims-of-israeli-genocide-in-gaza NationalPost]
Global coalition of orgs launch ‘Gaza GenoLIE’ initiative to counter ‘modern blood libel’.
JPost. Aug 13, 2026
Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, said: “Calling Israel’s defensive war against Hamas a ‘genocide’ is not activism; it is a modern blood libel dressed up in academic language.”
By Marhilda Heller. August 13, 2026.
An alliance of 55 organizations has this week launched Gaza GenoLIE, an educational initiative about the “generated and orchestrated genocide lie promoted by anti-Zionists and antisemitic networks in the US, Europe and around the world.”
It further says that the “Gaza Genocide” is one of the biggest lies of the 21st century.
The website includes eight pieces of what it describes as “the Gaza GenoLIE puzzle.”
The initiative is led by organizations from around the world, including the Ireland-Israel Alliance, the Solomon Observatory on Discrimination (Italy), the Sweden-Israel Alliance, and others. There are also some major bodies on the list, including Stand With Us, the World Jewish Congress, CAMERA, and the National Jewish Advocacy Center
Clicking on each of the eight puzzle pieces takes the user to an explanatory page.
Lie #1: Genocide claims against Israel only appeared after the October 7 Massacre The first “lie” revolves around the notion that genocide claims against Israel only appeared after October 7, 2023. The website notes that calls of genocide were already widely used on social media and during protests on October 8, before the IDF even began a ground operation in Gaza.
Genocide is a well-established legal term and standard, proven by a pattern of conduct assessed over time. The website says that an accusation lodged within 24-48 hours after the Hamas massacre against Israel, before any such pattern could exist, “is a predetermined narrative, not a finding.”
Lie #2: Israel's actions legally constitute genocide The second “lie” presented is that Israel’s actions constitute genocide under the legal framework.
The crime of genocide was defined in the 1948 Genocide Convention, drafted following the Holocaust. Under Article II, genocide means certain acts – killing, causing serious harm, inflicting destructive conditions of life – committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.”
Intent is key when finding a state or party responsible for genocide. Additionally, if any other reasonable explanation for the conduct exists, the charge of genocide fails as a matter of law.
In Israel’s case, the website says “because a lawful war objective following a massacre of its civilians is a reasonable explanation for Israel’s conduct, genocidal intent cannot be the only reasonable inference.”
Therefore, under the ICJ’s own test, it says the genocide argument fails.
Other parts of the puzzle featured on the website include discussion of Hamas’s use of human shields, the use of sick Gazan children to generate optics of famine, and the accusations of war on journalists.
“The “Gaza GenoLIE” is the most dangerous example of a decades-long deliberate and systematic hijacking, redefinition, inversion, and weaponization of facts and law,” said the International Legal Forum.
Our Fight UK said, “While challenging the libel with the facts is an important step, it is no longer enough.”
“It’s time that we demanded our politicians state clearly where they stand. Our public life is being distorted and devalued as violence and intimidation are given free rein, justified by the false claim of genocide; yet our public figures are too cowardly to challenge it.”
Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, said: “Calling Israel’s defensive war against Hamas a ‘genocide’ is not activism; it is a modern blood libel dressed up in academic language.”
“We’ve watched this lie spread from social media into classrooms, city councils, and even Congress, and it has emboldened people to harass and threaten Jews in broad daylight. The Gaza GenoLIE campaign exposes this libel for what it is: a coordinated disinformation effort, not a legitimate critique. Antisemites don’t get to hide behind a hashtag.”
“When we table on campus and visit universities, and we ask them what they know about Israel, the word “genocide” is the first one they say,” said Ilan Sinelnikov, President, Students Supporting Israel.
“We all know there is no genocide in Gaza. What there is is a big lie. The GenoLie that is being fed to hundreds of thousands. The GenoLie initiative will make it fast and easy to debunk those lies.”
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905476 JPost]
Gaza GenoLIE Campaign Exposes How "Genocide" Definition Was Intentionally Distorted
The genocide charge rests on a legal standard repeatedly stretched to fit the accusation. International courts require specific intent, and the ICJ has never ruled that it existed in Gaza.
Jewish Onliner
Aug 13, 2026
[https://jewishonliner.org/p/gaza-genolie-icj-disinformation-hrw-israel-hamas Jewish Onliner]
New Campaign Aims to Dispel ‘Genocide Libel’ Against Israel, Slams Mamdani for Role in Pushing False Charge.
Bu Corey Walker. August 13, 2026.
More than 50 Jewish and non-Jewish organizations have joined forces in a new international campaign aimed at challenging what they describe as a coordinated “genocide” narrative against Israel that emerged in the aftermath of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
The global initiative’s website, GazaGenoLIE.com, argues that the genocide allegation was rapidly promoted by Hamas and its supporters as part of a broader effort to delegitimize Israel, while downplaying Israel’s stated efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and the context of the defensive war against terrorists. The campaign seeks to dismantle what it calls the “Gaza GenoLIE” by presenting evidence showing how the narrative emerged and spread worldwide.
The campaign’s website lays out what it describes as eight key “pieces” of the Gaza “GenoLIE” narrative: the emergence of genocide accusations almost immediately after the Oct. 7 attack; what organizers characterize as distortions of the legal definition of genocide and the role of intent; portrayals of Israel’s war against Hamas as a war against Palestinians; Hamas’s alleged use of civilians and civilian infrastructure as human shields; what the campaign calls the use of severely ill children to support claims of an Israeli-created famine; allegations that journalists killed in Gaza were deliberately targeted because of their profession; and the spread of the genocide accusation into what the organizers call a “blood libel” against Jews worldwide. The organizers conclude that the “genocide libel” is part of a larger effort to delegitimize and stigmatize Israel on the international stage.
“Israel’s conduct throughout the war included a series of measures that would be inexplicable for a state aiming to target a whole population. Israel issued evacuation warnings days and weeks in advance; dropped millions of leaflets; and placed tens of millions of phone calls, texts, and recorded messages in Arabic urging civilians to leave combat zones,” the website reads.
Among the organizations participating are the World Jewish Congress, Zionist Organization of America, StopAntisemitism, Students Supporting Israel, CAMERA, HonestReporting, and the Maccabee Task Force.
The campaign comes as Israel and its supporters continue to fight a widely accepted narrative in progressive circles that the Jewish state’s military operations aim to eliminate the Palestinian population rather than specifically the Hamas terrorist group, which explicitly seeks Israel’s destruction.
One of the campaign’s examples is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a public official who has accused Israel of “genocide[sic]” on numerous occasions. Only six days after the Hamas-led massacre in Israel, he posted on social media that “we are on the brink of a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.” The initiative argues that such statements helped establish the genocide narrative before Israel’s ground operation in Gaza had even begun.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who at the time was a member of the New York State Assembly, went on to call for a ceasefire and an end to additional US military funding for Israel in his Oct. 13, 2023, post.
Contemporary reporting confirms that Mamdani participated that evening in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Brooklyn, where he was arrested after protesters blocked traffic outside the home of then-US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Jewish Democrat.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/13/new-campaign-aims-dispel-genocide-libel-against-israel-slams-mamdani-role-pushing-false-charge/ Algemeiner]
The Gaza GenoLIE is the GENerated and Orchestrated LIE about genocide in Gaza, promoted by anti-Zionist and antisemitic ...
[https://gazagenolie.com/ Gaza GenoLIE]
The Gaza GenoLIE started on Oct 8.
The National Jewish Assembly.
August 12, 2026.
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-3pjyPIOwNw on YouTube]
Ben Benson (@berlinerbenben) • Instagram.
berlinerbenben:
Aug 14, 2026.
The obviously false genocide claim against Israel is all about Holocaust inversion — the obviously nonsensical historical distortion intended to (1) demean Israel in disregard of the facts, (2) diminish the seriousness of the Holocaust, (3) offend Jews, and (4) fuel the anti-Jewish hate that plagues our communities.
If you want parallels, see how Hamas and the Nazis poisoned youths’ minds with hate and martyrdom; and how they hid in their bunkers and left civilians to died in the crossfire.
[https://www.instagram.com/p/Db-a-fZEd0S/c/18338499850283978/ on Instagram]
____
New Details:
How Trump secretly switched planes after Iran missile threat.
New details reveal how security officials quietly moved Trump to a smaller military aircraft after intelligence indicated a possible missile threat near the NATO summit in Turkey.
Israel National News.
Aug 12, 2026, 12:28 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431601 INN]
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Father of Hostage: 'Terrorists at Nahal Oz spoke Farsi'.
Eyal Eshel says testimony from those at Nahal Oz indicates terrorists were heard speaking Persian during the October 7 attack.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 2:09 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431605 INN]
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Dozens of illegal structures demolished in northern Samaria.
Civil Administration forces carried out a major enforcement operation ahead of the planned return of Israeli families to Ganim and Kadim.
Hezki Baruch.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 1:17 PM (GMT+3)
The Civil Administration’s Enforcement Unit carried out a large-scale enforcement operation in northern Samaria on Wednesday, demolishing dozens of illegal Palestinian structures located along roads and in areas near the towns of Ganim and Kadim.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431603 INN]
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COGAT's unusual warning to Gazans
Israel warns Gaza residents to stay away. from the Yellow Line, accusing Hamas of deliberately pushing civilians toward the area despite the danger.
Yoni Kempinski. Aug 12, 2026, 2:36 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431604 INN]
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Jewish tourist wearing kippah assaulted in consecutive Rome attacks.
French Jewish tourist attacked twice in central Rome over two days, leading Italian police to arrest a suspect on hate crime charges.
Israel National News. Aug 12, 2026.
Italian law enforcement officers took a 31-year-old unhoused Algerian citizen with a prior criminal history into custody on suspicion of carrying out repeated violent acts against a 22-year-old French visitor wearing a kippah in central Rome, according to details published Tuesday by Ynet.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431587 INN]
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Mladenov: Claims of Board of Peace-Hamas deal are false.
Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov rejects claims of a Hamas funding deal, saying Hamas will have no role in Gaza's governance or access to funds.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 4:16 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431611 INN]
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WJC study.
81% of antisemitic content remains online.
Israel National News.
Aug 12, 2026, 5:00 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431614 INN]
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Iran: No talks with US on extending ceasefire.
As 60-day ceasefire period nears its end, Tehran says it does not recognize an official start date and accuses Washington of violating the agreement.
Israel National News
Aug 12, 2026, 4:48 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431607 INN]
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Hamas intensified Gaza torture, interrogations post-Oct. 2025 ceasefire, IDF Arabic spox says.
Hamas employs physical violence, blackmail, psychological threats and harm, prolonged isolation, and a range of other forms of mistreatment, the IDF said.
Jonah Davidov. August 12, 2026.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905295 JPost]
____
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Hamas has intensified interrogations and torture against Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, in an effort to bolster its authority over the Strip.
August 12, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087499357889188226 on X]
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Gaza BoP agreement grants Hamas military wing $160 million in cash, Liberman claims.
Liberman further noted a recent incident in which IDF commanders came across a group of 50 Hamas Nuhkba terrorists who were conducting an exercise in which they practiced raiding a Jewish settlement.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905315 JPost]
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Hamas may receive up to $400 million in debt relief under BoP plan - report.
BoP Director-General Nikolay Mladenov disputed the report, saying that "such a proposal has not been discussed, negotiated, considered, and will not be on the agenda in the future."
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905312 JPost]
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Concern grows in Israel as mother, daughter mysteriously vanish in Vienna
Mali Yahalomi, 50, and her 23-year-old daughter Liel have been missing since Friday after failing to board their return flight; their Vienna apartment was found empty.
August 12, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905319 JPost]
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After 17 years, Israel and Venezuela begin rebuilding ties through humanitarian aid - opinion.
The landscape began to shift following the US capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 and assumed a human dimension after the disaster.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905311 JPost]
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Saudi Arabia bets on defensive alliances to deter slide into war - analysis.
Riyadh faces a dilemma: how to deter attacks and protect the ambitious economic vision it is pursuing without becoming entangled in a broader conflict in the region.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905308 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The Middle East and North Africa hold vast oil and gas reserves, but the region’s natural resource landscape extends far beyond energy.
Water scarcity, mineral wealth, limited farmland, and fisheries are shaping economies and their futures across the region.
August 12, 2026.
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087523815727255682 on X]
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Live updates: Israel warns Trump of Iran assassination plot, Lebanon failing to disarm Hezbollah.
Trump covertly escorted off Air Force One to another plane • Iranian official says US blockade worse than war • Israeli officials say LAF not doing enough on the ground.
Aug 12, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-12/live-updates-905257 JPost]
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IDF conducts strikes in southern Lebanon as LAF continues to operate in pilot zones - report.
According to the LAF, Israel's actions consistently hinder its ability to operate in the pilot zones and work to return south Lebanese residents to their homes.
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-905314 JPost]
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Pakistan Invites Muslim Nations to Join the New ‘Islamic NATO’.
Christine WilliamsAugust 12, 2026
A threat – potentially rivaling that of Iran.
[https://www.frontpagemag.com/pakistan-invites-muslim-nations-to-join-the-new-islamic-nato/ FPM]
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Iran's plan to drag out war until end of Trump era.
A senior adviser to the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Iran could prolong the war until President Trump leaves the White House.
Nitzan Tsur.
Aug 12, 2026, 8:38 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431625 INN]
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Near Cave of Patriarchs: Muslim cleric arrested for incitement, encouraging terror attacks.
Police arrest 70-year-old cleric from Hebron who allegedly encouraged riots and violence.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 9:20 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431629 INN]
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Hunter Biden, Tucker Carlson Unite Over ‘Evil[sic] Incarnate’ Netanyahu, Blame Israel for Laptop Scandal.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/12/hunter-biden-tucker-carlson-unite-evil-incarnate-netanyahu-blame-israel-laptop-scandal/ Algemeiner]
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Abdul El-Sayed Lies About ‘Apartheid’: Israeli Arabs Have Full Rights, and Say So Themselves.
By Jason Shvili. August 12, 2026.
Last week, Abdul El-Sayed, who just won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, accused Israel of, among other calumnies, the crime of “apartheid.” Like similar anti-Israel libels currently in vogue (e.g., “genocide,” “starvation”), the assertion that Israel is an apartheid state has no factual basis — indeed, the inverse is true. Israel isn’t just the only democracy in the Middle East and North Africa; it’s also the region’s only country that grants equal rights to all its citizens.
Israeli Arabs enjoy rights and freedoms that many in Arab states can only dream of. Israeli Arabs are allowed to vote in free elections, work in any profession, and hold office at every level of Israel’s government. By comparison, most Arab countries deny their people even the most basic rights.
Furthermore, there’s no limitation in Israeli society to Israeli Arab achievement. Not only do Israeli Arabs have equal opportunities to their Jewish counterparts; they are also overrepresented in some important sectors of Israeli society, especially health care. In contrast, opportunities for people in most Arab countries, especially women and religious or ethnic minorities, are severely limited.
This contrast in political and social freedoms between Israeli and Palestinian societies is dramatic. Indeed, human rights activists truly concerned about “freeing Palestine” would better direct their criticisms toward the Palestinian Authority (PA), which tyrannically governs daily Palestinian life in the disputed territories of Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”), and Hamas, until recently the iron-fisted dictatorship in Gaza.
If we’re discussing apartheid, it’s noteworthy that while two million Arabs live free in Israel, no Jews are allowed in Palestinian-ruled lands. In fact, in Palestinian-ruled territories, even selling land to Jews is punishable by death.
While, like every Western democracy, Israel is a work in progress that strives constantly to correct its imperfections, it is, according to many Israeli Arabs, a veritable paradise.
Israel is, for its Arab citizens, the complete opposite of apartheid. Apartheid, which originated in South Africa, separated blacks and whites in public spaces, transportation, and residential zones, and it denied most civil liberties to its black citizens. Nothing could be farther from reality in Israel.
The scope of civil rights guaranteed to Israeli Arabs, as well as other non-Jews, is unparalleled in the Arab Middle East and North Africa. All citizens of Israel are guaranteed basic rights consistent with a modern democracy, including equality before the law, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, women’s rights, and rights for sexual minorities (i.e., LGBTQ+). Women’s rights are rare in the Arab world, where wife abuse is legal in many places, and LGBTQ+ rights are non-existent.
Like other democracies, Israel holds free and fair elections. All citizens are eligible to vote and hold office. Although some Arab states such as Jordan and Kuwait hold elections, there are many restrictions and no path to regime change, regardless of who wins.
Israeli Arabs have served at every level of power in the country — as Knesset members, cabinet ministers, and Supreme Court justices. Khaled Kabub, a Muslim Arab, is currently a Supreme Court Justice. A previous Supreme Court Justice, Salim Joubran, a Christian Arab, was once chair of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, the body that supervises Israel’s elections. None of this would be possible if Israel were an apartheid state.
No wonder Yoseph Haddad, a prominent Arab Israeli activist and former IDF soldier, wrote, “I am thankful to have been born in the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.”
“Israel is the best country for Arabs living in the Middle East,” according to Yahya Mahamid, a Muslim Arab, IDF veteran, and activist. One reason is that Israel boasts opportunities for its Arab citizens that don’t exist in Arab states. Indeed, Israeli Arabs participate in all levels of Israel’s economy and society. The unemployment rate for Israel’s Arab citizens — 2.8% in 2025 — dwarfs unemployment in most Arab states.
Furthermore, although Israeli Arabs (except Druze) aren’t required to serve in the IDF, thousands do, including Ella Waweya, a Muslim Arab, who heads the IDF’s Arabic media division, and holds the rank of lieutenant-colonel, the fifth-highest rank in the IDF.
Israeli Arabs live in freedom, while Arab people in the Palestinian territories suffer under dictatorship. Whereas approximately two million Israeli Arabs enjoy the fruits of democracy, their fellow Arabs in Palestinian-ruled territory languish under regimes that oppress and brutalize them on a daily basis.
Like all non-Israeli-citizens, Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria, and Gaza are not governed by Israeli law, but by autocratic dictatorships. Indeed, in the Palestinian-ruled territories, neither basic rights nor rule of law exists. Torture, arbitrary arrest, censorship, and even summary executions are commonplace.
Nor is democracy practiced. Elections haven’t been held in the Palestinian-ruled territories since 2006. PA President Mahmoud Abbas is now in the 20th year of his four-year term, and though he has repeatedly promised new elections, he has never delivered.
Non-Muslims, mostly Christians, in Palestinian-ruled territory are subject to severe persecution. Not surprisingly, since the Oslo Accords were signed in the 1990s, the Palestinian Christian population has nosedived. Even in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, Christians have been reduced to a tiny minority, while Jews are entirely prohibited from living anywhere in the Palestinian-ruled territories.
Abdul El-Sayed lied: Israel isn’t perfect, but it’s a paradise compared to Arab states. Thus, it’s not surprising that, according to a 2025 report by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), 67% of Israeli Arabs consider Israel a good place to live — slightly more than the 65% of Jews who said the same.
Anyone who claims Israel is an apartheid state would be wise to 1) heed the words of Israeli Arabs themselves, who sing the praises of the Jewish State, and 2) examine the facts, which prove that Israel is an oasis of freedom and prosperity for Arabs in a region mostly characterized by tyranny and poverty.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/12/abdul-el-sayed-lies-about-apartheid-israeli-arabs-have-full-rights-and-say-so-themselves/ Algemeiner]
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21 years later, first families reestablish their homes in Ganim.
'Today, we are bringing life back to Ganim,' Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said at a ceremony marking the reestablishment of the community, 21 years after the Disengagement. 'Ganim will become a huge community-10 times its current size!'
Israel National News
Aug 13, 2026, 1:53 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431658 INN]
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Hiking should not be a crime punishable by death - opinion.
Israeli settlers entering a Palestinian village can be seen from two perspectives.
By Yisrael Medad
August 13, 2026.
([https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_720,w_1280/731280].
A Palestinian assailant attacks Israeli hikers near Gilad Farm, northern West Bank, July 24, 2026. photo credit: VIA WALLA).
If you are opposed to the enterprise of the resettling of Jews in the West Bank, ambivalent on the matter, or even an uninterested news consumer, the version of events of Friday, July 24, that you probably have absorbed since then has gone through a process of extreme distillation and ideological refinement.
One news site informed its readers that “Israeli settlers entered a Palestinian village.” Then, it added, residents of an outpost community “came out to repel the settlers.” After that, according to the same news source, one of the Arab villagers “snatched a settler’s weapon and opened fire.”
The background framing included additional information to wit: “Armed settlers had trespassed, [which is] consistent with the common strategy of ‘initiating friction.’”
Blame has been apportioned; Jewish guilt has been declared.
Reactions to the incident.
At 1:40 p.m. on the day of the incident, only five hours or so after the shootings, Ksenia Svetlova posted on X/Twitter.
A decade ago, Svetlova was a member of the Knesset for the Zionist Union (an alliance of the Labor Party and Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua). Currently, she is an associate fellow at Chatham House in London, where former prime minister Ehud Barak memorably declared on March 27, 2023, that some members of Israel’s government were “lunatic racists on the extreme Right.”
In her tweet, Svetlova reversed the narrative, as if it were Arabs who had illegally entered a Jewish settlement.
She then returned to relative reality, highlighting the narrative of settler violence. According to Svetlova, the hike in which Israeli settlers entered a Palestinian region was in Area A (yet the road they were walking on was actually in Area B), and they entered the village (but in actuality, the Arabs came out).
Despite the video evidence she posted, Svetlova, as did others, ignored the fact that the hikers, as well as the IDF soldiers who arrived, and Capt. (res.) Benayahu Mellet, who was ordered to join in, all fired numerous shots in the air for over a minute, intentionally trying not to harm any of the Arabs.
Another, Dror Etkes of Kerem Navot, which is an anti-occupation NGO that “monitors and researches Israeli land policy in the West Bank,” also posted about the incident on Twitter.
He had a narrative that claimed the incident was in fact over, except that the “settlers” then arrived. Etkes’s perspective can be demonstrated by a later X post, from July 28, in which he called the head of the IDF Central Command “settler IDF apartheid General [Avi] Bluth.”
The military’s investigation into the incident was published on August 5. It was not withheld from the public, just as an investigation into another sensitive incident that occurred in November 2024, when two soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon while investigating a historical site, was published. The IDF found that Mellet acted with “extreme heroism” and defined the Arabs involved as “terrorists.”
The participants insisted they were not properly in the village. True, the report found that security authorities had not approved the outing, but the Shomron Brigade did receive preliminary but very unclear information about it several hours beforehand, and that the Arab residents were those who initiated contact, confronting the hikers.
Hiking or a provocation?
I will not second-guess the act of unstrapping one’s rifle from one’s body, which seemingly led to the weapon being snatched, or even if it was wise to get so close to the rioters, even pushing and shoving them. Other points need to be addressed, nevertheless.
Walking through the Land of Israel should not be considered a crime, nor a provocation, and certainly not an act that permits local Arabs to throw stones at the hikers or to seek to do them violent injury.
I myself experienced a similar situation back in 1989, in the pre-Oslo Accords period. We were nowhere near a village but rather deep in a wadi, which provided an advantage to the stone throwers. Our presence was enough to have them initiate violence. We were not in a grove of olive trees, in a field of barley, or trudging through someone’s backyard. We were Jews.
We were doing nothing more than what president Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and his wife, Rachel Yanait, had done before World War I – we were walking throughout the country.
Hikes were also part of the early Yishuv school system, and Israeli writer, lecturer, and geographer Zev Vilnay made a living leading them.
([https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/721157].
Palestinians throw stones at Jewish settlers as they establish a pastoral outpost at the site where Jewish settler Yehuda Sherman was murdered, near the village of Beit Mirin north of Nablus in the West Bank).
Further, the Palmach marched across Samaria and through the Judean Desert and made sure to visit Hebron in the early 1940s, at a time when the British banned entry to non-residents.
Exploring the land was, and continues to be, a natural Jewish act, in the spirit of: “Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it” (Genesis 13:17).
Yes, some Jewish residents beyond the Green Line are or can be violent. However, the “settler violence” campaign is a travesty of the facts and the context.
Worse, it is intended to cover up the numerous acts of Arab violence and terror, and the seriousness of the damage done and intended. Friday’s hike participants were not a bunch of vigilante hooligans.
A third lesson from the incident is that objective news seems not to be of any interest anymore.
Yasmin Levy of Haaretz, for instance, was quite convinced, as her July 26 TV review column suggested, ... Israeli TV distorted this latest West Bank violence.
If you clicked on Arutz Sheva or the Srugim website, however, you would see a very different picture.
Israeli politicians and public figures have the right to criticize and oppose policies. What we are witnessing, though, is a campaign, still on the fringes, of justifying Arab “resistance” to “colonialist occupation” while downgrading Arab terror.
From the Democrats Party chair Yair Golan’s words .. radical elements are now mourning a sheikh who grabbed a gun from a Jew who was using it to shove him away to then murder that Jew and shoot at a soldier. Even members of Golan’s party protested his description of the attack on the hikers as a “terror act.”
Hiking is a non-threatening endeavor and should not be thought of otherwise. It should not be considered a crime punishable by death.
The writer is a researcher, analyst, and commentator on political, cultural, and media issues.
[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-905207 JPost]
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Blow to Houthi propaganda apparatus.
X has suspended the account of Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, which was used to disseminate the organization’s propaganda and claim responsibility for attacks and launches.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 3:27 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431663 INN]
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Survey:
Majority of Australians fear for religious safety after Bondi.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 5:03 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431668 INN]
Over half of Australians doubt all faiths can live safely after Bondi massacre, CAM reports.
Growing concern over antisemitism and social cohesion intensifies calls for local government action ahead of landmark national summit in Bondi Beach.
Aug 13, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905392 JPost]
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Tradition or politics | Poll discloses what really irritates secular Israelis.
57% of secular Israelis support religious presence in the public realm, provided it is not forced. Two-thirds of young Israelis view Judaism in a positive light.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 10:03 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431648 INN]
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CENTCOM: 59 vessels redirected as part of Iran naval blockade.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-f9c7-d723-ad9f-fbd75a230000 JNS]
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Anthropic in talks to buy Israeli AI startup Decart for $6 billion.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-f9ea-d7e0-a5ff-ffeeaf2a0000 JNS]
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Tel Aviv square officially named Hostages Square.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-f65d-d704-adbf-ff7f046a0000 JNS]
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IDF fires on Gaza terrorist who crossed truce line.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fa2f-d91f-a9bf-fa6f33580000 JNS]
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Girl, 9, lightly wounded in Palestinian rock attack in Samaria.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fa9d-d065-a7df-fbfd895f0000 JNS]
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Israeli forces foil imminent attack, arrest three in Jenin.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-faa4-d17d-a9ff-ffbe43410000 JNS]
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Israel receives thousands of tons of US military equipment.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fac0-d747-adff-fbf1a20e0000 JNS]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The IAF on Thursday attacked a Gazan terror cell in Khan Yunis, the second "attack of choice" in two days after a pause in such attacks since a new US-Hamas deal in late July.
✍️ @Jeremybob1
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087883122587128011 On X]
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IDF strikes Hamas commander in northern Gaza.
Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov denies claims of a financial deal with the terror group.
JNS Staff. Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-strikes-hamas-commander-in-northern-gaza JNS]
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‘Deeply troubling’ how disproportionately Jews targeted in San Francisco, ADL says.
Aaron Bandler.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/deeply-troubling-how-disproportionately-jews-are-targeted-in-san-francisco-adl-says JNS]
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‘Worried for our brothers and sisters,’ Jews near NYC say of Mamdani’s mayorship.
Riki Zagelbaum.
Aug 13, 2026.
[https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/worried-for-our-brothers-and-sisters-jews-near-nyc-say-of-mamdanis-mayorship JNS]
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Hamas plans to run in upcoming Palestinian elections, names status of Al-Aqsa Mosque core priority.
Elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council are set to go ahead on November 28, the first in 20 years after Hamas won in January 2006. Hamas won 74 of the seats, with Fatah following behind.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905406 JPost]
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Settler leaders denounce Kusra violence: ‘This is not our way’.
Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Ganz and Beit El council head Shai Alon condemn extremists, with Alon warning that the violence is causing “irreversible damage” to Israel and the settlement movement.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-905451 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Senior settler leaders denounced violence around the Palestinian village of Kusra, saying it was “not our way” and warning that it was causing “irreversible damage” to Israel and the settlement movement.
August 13, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087891184882422180 X]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
What does Israel need to stay secure? HaBithonistim chairman Erez Winner argues that Israel must rethink its security strategy: from strengthening the IDF and national service to preparing for drones, internal threats and greater self-reliance.
August 13, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087895949494694083 X]
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Lesson of the UAE, Abraham Accords: Lasting peace begins in the classroom - opinion.
But six years later, after the Middle East has gone through one of the most turbulent periods in its history, a deeper lesson can be identified - true peace begins in the classroom.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-905284 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The controversial law aimed at relieving prison overcrowding has inflamed Lebanon’s sectarian divisions, with Islamist protesters denouncing provisions that would exclude some prisoners from the amnesty.
✍️ @DanielleGreyman.
August 13, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087905802568757352 on X]
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IDF kills Hamas commander who invaded Israel on October 7 in targeted Gaza strike.
Abu Kamil was among the terrorists who invaded Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, and he continued to work toward the goal of harming Israeli soldiers and civilians over the past three years.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-905483 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed Hamas commander Jamal Mahmoud Abu Kamil in a targeted strike in Gaza City on Thursday, according to a statement from the military.
August 13, 2026.
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087975180446446021 on X]
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Social Media Fails to Curb Rising Antisemitism, With 80% of Reported Posts Still Online, New Study Finds.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/13/social-media-fails-curb-rising-antisemitism-80-reported-posts-still-online-new-study-finds/ Algemeiner]
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Huckabee defends Jews of Judea and Samaria: 'Unsettlers' are the problem.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee defended Judea and Samaria communities while condemning Israelis involved in the Qusra incident as a harmful minority.
Israel National News. Aug 13, 2026, 10:00 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431684 INN]
U.S. Ambassador Huckabee Clarifies: Lawbreakers, Not Settlers, Are the Problem in Judea and Samaria.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/u-s-ambassador-huckabee-clarifies-lawbreakers-not-settlers-are-the-problem-in-ju-49411 JFeed]
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Iran Demands Gulf States Accept Its Regional Dominance.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/iran-demands-gulf-states-accept-its-regional-dominance-49399 JFeed]
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Gaza lookouts warn of October 7 echoes as Hamas tests IDF response.
IDF lookouts warn Hamas terrorists are approaching Gaza's yellow line daily and say troops face delays obtaining authorization to open fire.
Israel National News. Aug 13, 2026, 10:55 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431686 INN]
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Report:
Kushner planning Israel visit to advance Trump Gaza plan.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 11:42 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431687 INN]
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Hamas Rejects Call to Begin Disarmament Process, Sets New Conditions.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/hamas-rejects-call-to-begin-disarmament-process-sets-new-conditions-49415 JFeed]
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Israel Sends Humanitarian Delegation to Colombia Following Earthquake.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/israel-sends-humanitarian-delegation-to-colombia-following-earthquake-49414 JFeed]
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Two UAE state vessels targeted in Strait of Hormuz.
Israel National News.
Aug 14, 2026, 2:07 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431690 INN]
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US Treasury Secretary:
Iran facing 'unprecedented' economic isolation.
Israel National News.
Aug 14, 2026, 3:15 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431691 INN]
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Emotional tribute
Idan Amedi weeps, dedicating song to Hadar Goldin's parents.
Itzik Brandwein.
Aug 14, 2026, 5:18 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431694 INN]
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Woke NYC mayor humiliated by NYPD after suggesting his 'private' wife should have taxpayer-funded police bodyguards for trip to Syria.
03:14 BST 12 Aug 2026, updated 15:11 BST 12 Aug 2026
By Jack Toledo.
The New York City Police Department has denied the mayor's claims that his wife will be getting a special escort for her upcoming trip to Syria.
Zohran Mamdani had insisted that officers had recommended that his wife, Rama Duwaji, be accompanied by taxpayer-funded bodyguards for the journey.
[https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16044909/zohran-mamdani-nypd-bodyguards-wife-syria.html DailyMail]
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Palestinian Authority rebuilds monuments to terrorists “immediately”
Ephraim D. Tepler and Itamar Marcus|Aug 13, 2026.
The Palestinian Authority makes the glorification of terrorists one of its core values. Besides doing so in speeches, media, and its education system, it invests public resources to ensure that monuments honoring terrorists are put up in the public space so that everyone should know that the PA reveres terrorists. When monuments to terror leaders are damaged or removed, restoring them becomes an immediate priority. The PA sees these monuments as a means of elevating terrorists as Palestinian national heroes and passing their terror legacy to future generations.
When Israeli forces demolished a terror-glorifying monument in Tulkarem honoring Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) founder George Habash, the municipality wasted no time. According to its spokesman, the mayor issued explicit instructions to begin repairing it "immediately"..
[https://palwatch.org/page/42417 PalWarch]
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Qatari State Daily: Muslim US President Coming Soon | MEMRI.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.memri.org/reports/article-qatari-state-daily-al-sharq-day-not-far-when-muslim-will-be-elected-us-president MEMRI]
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‘Reminiscent of what you’d find behind Iron Curtain,’ attorney says of ongoing effort to sue Mamdani admin for records.
“We will keep litigating until we get to the truth,” Randy Mastro told JNS, after oral arguments in New York County Supreme Court. “I’m sure the court will hear us when these procedural issues are behind us.”
Rikki Zagelbaum.
(Aug. 14, 2026 / JNS) The first hearing of a case, over which Gerald Lebovits, a New York County Supreme Court judge, presided on Thursday was about whether New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has illegally withheld records about his revocation, on his first day on the job, of his predecessor’s executive orders protecting Jews.
It also doubled as a legal classroom for and a pitch to law students from New York University and China about how rewarding a legal career can be, in which City Hall’s lawyer, the plaintiff’s attorney and the judge gave their spiels about why they chose their profession.
“The law is a noble profession. You can do so much good in your life in the law,” Randy Mastro, an attorney and former first deputy mayor of New York City, told the students. “Law is a profession. It’s not a job.”..
[https://www.newsweek.com/dsa-assault-on-prisons-is-rooted-in-third-world-ist-lust-for-barbarism-12237869 JNS]
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UAE tanker attacked in Hormuz, US Energy Secretary says 9 million oil barrels pass through daily.
Vance says Iran won’t obtain nuclear weapon • US CENTCOM denies reports of soldiers jumping off USS Lincoln • Jared Kushner plans to visit Israel, Egypt to discuss Gaza.
August 14, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-14/live-updates-905502 JPost]
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Polish Soccer Fans Taunt Hapoel Tel Aviv Fans With Nazi Salute During UEFA Conference League Match.
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/14/polish-soccer-fans-taunt-hapoel-tel-aviv-fans-nazi-salute-uefa-conference-league-match/ Algemeiner]
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Chinese money used to support pro-Palestinian protests.
US officials investigating suspected covert Chinese support for Code Pink and its activities in the UK and links to groups involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Israel National News
Aug 14, 2026, 4:53 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431720 INN]
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Israeli Consul.
'Mamdani is failing to protect New York Jewish community'.
Israel National News.
Aug 14, 2026, 2:18 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431715 INN]
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Mein Kampf found at new London Arabic bookstore sparks outrage.
Copies of Hitler’s Mein Kampf in Arabic found at a London bookstore have triggered accusations of antisemitism, while the store’s owners dispute claims that the book was prominently displayed.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 14, 2026, 6:06 PM (GMT+3)
... According to a report by The Telegraph, the book was being sold at Aafaq, a new Arabic bookstore in London located around half a mile from a synagogue. Its presence at the store prompted criticism and allegations of antisemitism.
The British Jewish News also reported on the controversy, saying that three copies of Mein Kampf were found at the bookstore. The store’s owners, however, rejected claims that the book had been prominently displayed or actively promoted.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431723 INN]
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Radicalism runs in the family.
El-Sayed's Half-Sister Faces Renewed Scrutiny For Concerning October 7 Posts | WATCH.
Eman Abdelhadi, Assistant Professor at University of Chicago and maternal half-sister of Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, faces renewed scrutiny over October 7, 2023 social media posts, activism record, and alleged video.
Bianca Jones.
Aug 14, 2026
[...]
Abdelhadi holds a position in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago, where she studies religion, gender, identity, and Muslim American communities. She describes herself as a "queer Muslim activist" and has advocated for a "stateless, communized society" and called for abolishing the police.
The current wave of criticism centers on two overlapping controversies: Abdelhadi's stated positions on the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel, and the circulation of an alleged video that conservative outlets claim shows her celebrating the assault. Her activism includes pro-Palestinian posts, like one on October 7, 2023, with "Morning freedom" and a Palestinian flag, which critics see as celebrating Hamas's attack that killed about 1,200 in Israel, while she describes it as support for resistance.
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/el-sayed-sister-october-7-controversy JFeed]
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Gaza Operation.
Hamas Commander Who Held Hostages Killed.
Mohammed Mushtaha, a company commander in Hamas's military wing who participated in the October 7 massacre and held several Israeli hostages captive, was killed in a July strike in northern Gaza
Gila Isaacson, Srugim
Aug 14, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/hamas-commander-hostages-eliminated JFeed]
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Israel Katz Orders Police to Take Over Law Enforcement in Judea and Samaria.
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/israel-katz-orders-police-to-take-over-law-enforcement-in-judea-and-samaria-49427 JFeed]
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US Ambassador to Lebanon Links End of Israeli Attacks to Hezbollah Disarmament.
The US ambassador to Lebanon stated that Israeli attacks in Lebanon will stop if Hezbollah hands over its weapons. When asked when the Israeli strikes would cease, the ambassador replied: "Tell Hezbollah that if it hands over its weapons, everything will stop."
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/us-ambassador-to-lebanon-links-end-of-israeli-attacks-to-hezbollah-disarmament-49438 JFeed]
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A Jewish teen’s departure reflects Belgium’s ‘silent exodus’.
“Before Oct. 7, I was Raphael. Then I became ‘the Jew,’” a new immigrant to Israel told JNS amid a steady stream of Jews leaving his native country.
Canaan Lidor.
(Aug. 14, 2026 / JNS) BRAINE-L’ALLEUD, Belgium—What could drive a 16-year-old boy from an affluent home in Belgium to leave behind his doting family, a prestigious private high school and the captaincy of his soccer team, in favor of a boarding school in a faraway war zone?
For Raphael, a Jewish teen from the Brussels area, the answer was more than two years of antisemitic threats and intimidation, according to him and his family.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/feature/a-jewish-teens-departure-reflects-belgiums-silent-exodus JNS]
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Uruguay: Screening of Hamas propaganda film at university canceled after outcry.
The film is scheduled to be shown at Cornell in October.
Etgar Lefkovits.
(Aug. 14, 2026 / JNS) The screening of a Mexican documentary film on life in Gaza, produced in collaboration with Hamas, which was scheduled to be held at Uruguay’s largest university, has been canceled, an American Jewish organization said on Wednesday.
The screening of the 2025 film “La Gran Palestina” or “Greater Palestine” at Universidad de la Republica on Wednesday evening was nixed after a public outcry, with opposition leaders asking how a propaganda piece by a terrorist group was scheduled to be shown at a public university.
The film was made “in collaboration with the combatants of the resistance (Hamas),” its accompanying flier states..
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/news/culture-and-society/uruguay-screening-of-hamas-propaganda-film-at-university-canceled-after-outcry JNS]
Turkish FM Fidan threatens Israel after posing next to map erasing Jewish state.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday of threatening the Jewish state, a day after he posed alongside a map depicting Israel as “Palestine” and excluding the Golan Heights.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-ff9b-da8b-a5ff-ffffc7cc0000 JNS]
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IDF dismantles booby-trapped Hezbollah structure in Southern Lebanon.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fee9-d88e-a39f-ffef7a830000 JNS]
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Jayapal encourages student groups to host antisemite Hasan Piker after UW nixes official event.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fc69-d827-af9f-fd795d9e0000 JNS]
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European soccer org to probe Nazi salutes reportedly directed at Israeli soccer fans during elimination match.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fc6e-dbc4-a7ff-fe7febe80000 JNS]
____
Prime Minister of Israel
@IsraeliPM:
A revealing exchange on @CNN: PMO Spokesman @DoronSpielman addresses the violence in Judea and Samaria - and then gets a truly bizarre question about Jews praying together.
Watch his response.
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2088176459206554019 on X]
____
Netanyahu barred the Palestinian Authority from Gaza - what about the West Bank? - analysis.
The lessons of October 7 demand a new approach to the growing security threat posed by the Palestinian Authority.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/article-905157 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Opinion: The Palestinian Authority was excluded from Gaza for a reason, but its security forces in the West Bank raise a separate and potentially serious security question.
✍️ @MauriceHirsch4.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088322497003286727 on X]
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A Netanyahu loss in Israel’s looming election won’t slow the hatred.
Potential successors would be advised to start mentally preparing themselves now to take on the role of “Global-Villain-in-Chief.”
Ben Cohen. August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/opinion/column/ben-cohen/a-netanyahu-loss-in-israels-looming-election-wont-slow-the-hatred JNS]
____
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
US forces have redirected 62, disabled three, and boarded two ships attempting to breach the country’s blockade against Iran in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X/Twitter on Friday.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088377490565738883 on X]
____
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
IDF troops opened fire on a group of Palestinians who threw a Molotov cocktail and stones at soldiers near Beit Fajar, the military said in a statement Friday night.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088377007264391199 on X]
____
Trump says US will hit Iran hard economically after Bessent issues warning.
His comments came a day after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US was going to apply measures that have "never been seen" on Tehran as soon as next week.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905560 JPost]
____
The lie of apartheid: The 2026 Israel election is a display of the country's diversity - opinion.
Regardless of the final outcome of this election, it looks like this race could finally bury the apartheid myth about Israel.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-905394 JPost]
____
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Opinion: Israel’s October election puts the “apartheid” accusation to the test, as Arab voters and parties may play a decisive role in determining who forms the next government.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088341860510990588 on X]
_____
Man disrupts synagogue services in Manhattan, arrested for assault.
New York City police officers fence off and guard the Jewish Orthodox synagogue Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, on May 12, 2026, in the borough of Queens, New York City. Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images.
(Aug. 15, 2026 / JNS) A 46-year-old man was arrested on Friday night for allegedly assaulting a Jewish worshipper and a security member at Central Synagogue, a reform congregation in Manhattan, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.
[https://www.jns.org/news/antisemitism/man-disrupts-synagogue-services-in-manhattan-arrested-for-assault JNS]
Bronx man arrested, charged with hate crimes after disrupting NYC synagogue services.
Larry Montes, 46, was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime for the incident at Manhattan's Central Synagogue.
August 15, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905572 JPost]
____
The Iran strike Trump halted: ‘We were about to destroy what remained of the regime’.
Senior government official claims Israel was hours away from a massive operation that was stopped at the last minute last week. Also, Netanyahu’s successor, who still does not know he is one.
Amit Segal. Aug. 15, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/analysis/the-iran-strike-trump-halted-we-were-about-to-destroy-what-remained-of-the-regime JNS]
_____
Rashida Tlaib rally canceled at Florida venue after lawmaker calls event ‘anti-Jew’.
A Florida venue canceled a planned Rashida Tlaib rally after complaints from a Jewish state lawmaker, citing security concerns and its commitment to the Jewish community.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905573 JPost]
____
This week in Jewish history: Moses ascends Mount Sinai, a massacre shakes Hebron.
A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars.
August 15, 2026
Elul 1, 2448 (1312 BCE): Moses ascended Mount Sinai for the third time and remained there for 40 days, during which time he obtained God’s wholehearted forgiveness for the people of Israel. He then came down on the 10th of Tishrei (Yom Kippur) with the second Tablets of the Law (Exodus 33:11). Ever since, the month of Elul serves as the “month of Divine mercy and forgiveness.”
Aug. 15, 2005: The Gaza Disengagement began with 14,000 IDF soldiers and police officers forcibly evicting more than 8,500 Jewish residents who chose to remain in their homes in 25 towns. The government’s hopes that the Disengagement would open “new opportunities” in relations with the Palestinians were bitterly disappointed. The vacated settlements were used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel, including unremitting rocket fire on the nearby Israeli town of Sderot, and eventually led to Oct. 7.
Aug. 18, 1790: In response to a letter from the Jewish community of Rhode Island, president George Washington responded: “The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind… a policy worthy of imitation… For happily the Government of the United States, gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance… May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the goodwill of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid…” Washington’s letter is still housed in the Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI.
Aug. 19, 1845: Birthday of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, head of the French branch of the famed banking family. He was known as the “Father of the Yishuv” due to his financing almost single-handedly the pre-state agricultural villages of Rishon Lezion, Zichron Ya’acov, Gedera, Rosh Pina, and 30 others. He also established Israel’s wine industry when he helped Russian Jews flee pogroms in the 1880s and plant vineyards in Israel.
More famous birthdays, a massacre in Hebron..
Aug. 21, 1973: Birthday of Sergey Brin, American computer scientist, co-founder of Google, and one of the richest men in America.
Aug. 22, 1654: Jacob Barsimson, the first Jew known to settle in North America, arrived in New Amsterdam from Holland.
Aug. 23: Birthdays of Nobel Prize laureates in Economics, Kenneth Arrow (1921), “for his pioneering contributions to general economic equilibrium theory and welfare theory,” and Robert Solow (1924), for his work on the theory of economic growth.
Aug. 24, 1929: In Hebron, 67 Jewish men, women, and children were slaughtered, and scores were wounded, raped, and maimed by their Arab neighbors, who rioted for three days amid cries of “slaughter the Jews.” Jewish homes were pillaged, synagogues were desecrated, a Jewish hospital, which had provided treatment for Arabs, was attacked and ransacked, and the ancient Jewish community of Hebron, which had lived in relative peace for hundreds of years, was not revived until it was recaptured in the 1967 Six Day War.
Aug. 26, 1906: Birthday of Albert Sabin (Abram Saperstejn), developer of the “live” form of the polio vaccine, which does not require refrigeration and can be taken on a sugar cube. This development eliminated the need for needles and sterilization facilities, thereby making worldwide immunization possible. Sabin refused to patent his vaccine or profit from it, so that the low price would guarantee a more extensive spread of the treatment. He also developed vaccines for encephalitis and dengue fever.
Aug. 27, 1945: The 1,310 surviving Jewish refugees fleeing Europe who were forcibly transferred to Mauritius by the British government were allowed into Israel.
Aug. 28, 1903: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plot for global domination, was first published in serialized form in Zmaya, a St. Petersburg daily newspaper. Despite having been exposed as fraudulent, it has been translated into multiple languages and disseminated internationally. Henry Ford funded the printing of 500,000 copies that were distributed throughout the United States in the 1920s. Described as “probably the most influential work of antisemitism ever written,” to this day it remains widely available in numerous languages, in print and on the Internet, and continues to be presented by neo-fascist, fundamentalist groups as genuine.
Elul 18, 5494 (1734): After many years.. living under the guise of an ignorant clay-digger, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism, was instructed by his masters to reveal himself on his 36th birthday and begin to publicly disseminate his teachings, emphasizing the importance of joy and simple faith. Initially, his teachings encountered fierce opposition from the established leadership of the Jewish community, but by the time he passed away at age 62 on Shavuot of 1760, the movement he founded had spread significantly.
Sept. 1, 1967: In response to the Israeli offer to return the Sinai to Egypt and the Golan Heights to Syria after the Six Day War, the Arab League meeting in Khartoum, Sudan, issued its infamous three nos: “No to peace, no to recognition, no to negotiations.”
Sept. 2, 1796: Holland granted equality to its 50,000 Jews.
Sept. 4: Birthdays of Darius Milhaud (1892), French conductor, teacher, and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century, and David Broza (1955), Israeli folk-rock singer and songwriter who has been successful on the international rock circuit.
The Munich Olympics, Israeli history milestones.
Sept. 5, 1972: At the Olympic Village in Munich, eight Arab terrorists from the Black September Organization kidnapped and held Israeli athletes for ransom. During a botched attempt by German police to free them, 11 were murdered.
Elul 24, 5693 (1933): Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, revered author of over 30 works on Jewish ethics and laws, including Chafetz Chaim (“He who desires life”) and Mishna Berurah, founder of the Yeshiva of Radin, Talmudist, and moralist. Earning his living as a teacher and shopkeeper, he consistently refused a rabbinical post.
Sept. 7, 1827: Tsar Nicholas I issued a decree in Russia to draft Jewish boys at the age of 12, place them in schools for military education until age 18, and then obligate them to another 25 years of military service. Most of the 50,000 “cantonists” never returned to the families they had left at age 12.
Sept. 9, 1940: An Italian air raid on Tel Aviv killed 117 and wounded 150.
Sept. 10, 1952: Israel signed an agreement to accept reparation payments from West Germany for losses caused by the Nazis, over the objections of Menachem Begin, who was concerned that they could be perceived as somehow “absolving” Nazis of their heinous crimes.
Sept. 11, 1923: The Daf Yomi, a seven-year cycle of studying a page of Talmud a day, was initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapira of Lublin on Rosh Hashanah. Today, tens of thousands of Jews study the “daily daf” all over the world.
[https://www.jpost.com/history/article-905379 JPost]
____
A $50 million hostage ransom funded al-Qaeda terrorism in West Africa, UN says.
A new UN report detailing the use of the ransom did not identify the hostage or say who had made the payment, but three sources identified the country that made the payment as the UAE.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/history/article-905574 JPost]
____
The new crescent: Mecca pact gives rise to a Saudi-led Sunni bloc, posing new challenges for Israel.
BEHIND THE LINES: Anti-Israel statements of the emergent alliance between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are not just rhetoric. Rather, they form an integral element in its strategy.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905481 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Anti-Israel sentiment appears to form an integral element in the strategy behind the recently signed Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.
✍️ @jonathan_spyer.
August 15, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088522028080902211 on X]
___
Tehran says Hormuz 'cannot be seized' after Trump says he will declare strait US territory.
Shipping traffic drops in Strait of Hormuz.
UAE condemns 'aggressive Iranian attack' on tankers.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-15/live-updates-905570 JPost]
_____
Trump, Hegseth deny concerns of poor conditions, low morale reported aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.
US President Donald Trump that the over-260-day deployment was “not nearly long enough” when asked by reporters if he believed the deployment had gone on too long.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905575 JPost]
____
Taliban celebrate ‘victory day’ five years after seizing power in Afghanistan.
Five years after seizing power, the Taliban are projecting control in Afghanistan while rights groups warn of deepening humanitarian crises and sweeping restrictions on women.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905577 JPost]
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Iran says missing pilots are alive - in Qatar.
After months of uncertainty, Tehran claims three pilots thought missing since their jets were shot down are alive and being held by Qatari forces.
Orly Harari.
Aug 16, 2026, 12:18 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431746 INN]
____
Watch:
Tens of thousands at Western Wall for Selichot service.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 4:44 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431748 INN]
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Israeli universities rank among world’s top 100.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 8:53 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431754 INN]
____
'He should worry about his own security'.
Iranian lawmaker mocks Trump over past security logistics while rejecting the US President's statement that Washington will claim the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 6:19 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431750 INN]
____
Hezbollah terrorist eliminated
Wave of strikes in Lebanon after soldiers' injuries.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 8:15 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431753 INN]
____
Israeli i24News Team Attacked in Ireland While Filming Docuseries on Antisemitism.
by Shiryn Ghermezian. August 17, 2026.
A film crew from i24News’ Hebrew channel was assaulted over the weekend in Northern Ireland while filming a documentary series about antisemitism in Europe.
Reporter Yonatan Raveh and cameraman Nadav Abbas were interviewing people on the street in a popular bar area in Belfast when a local man realized they were from Israel and confronted the crew, according to i24News, which also shared a video of the incident on X.
The Irish man confronted the Israeli television crew and tried to grab their expensive camera equipment. When he failed, “he began actively disrupting the recording process and made obscene gestures toward the camera, which led to the filming being stopped,” i24 said. “The Israeli team tried to calm the situation and withdraw from the scene, but the suspect continued to follow them in a threatening manner, at which point the i24NEWS team turned to nearby security personnel and asked for help calling the police.”
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/17/israeli-i24news-team-attacked-ireland-filming-docuseries-antisemitism/ Algemeiner]
___
Hamas documents reveal long-term plan to open a northern front against Israel.
Captured Hamas documents reveal more than a decade of efforts to establish a military infrastructure in Lebanon in coordination with Hezbollah and Iran, including plans for rockets, a 2,000-man fighting force and more.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 16, 2026, 3:40 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431775 INN]
____
After Trump threats.
Iranian Speaker claims war victory
Israel National News.
Aug 17, 2026, 5:08 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431800 INN]
____
'Compel Israel to honor Gaza peace plan'.
Following high-level talks in Egypt with US envoy Jared Kushner, Hamas demands the Board of Peace compel Israel to fulfill its commitments under the Gaza plan.
Elad Benari.
Aug 17, 2026, 2:17 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431797 INN]
____
'A slap in Israel's face'.
Zvi Yehezkeli slams Kushner’s meeting with Hamas officials.
Israel National News.
Aug 17, 2026, 5:56 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431801 INN]
____
Israeli forces nab Palestinian digging tunnel shaft near Jerusalem security barrier.
Israeli security forces arrested a Palestinian suspected of helping to dig a tunnel shaft near the Jerusalem security barrier, the Israel Police said on Monday.
Border Police officers were sent to the Kalandia area, near Ramallah in Samaria, after lookouts spotted several people digging beside the barrier, according to a police statement.
The suspects fled as officers approached, prompting a foot chase during which police fired shots into the air.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0fad-d3e7-afe1-9fed6c8f0000 JNS]
WATCH: Police uncover tunnel near West Bank border fence outside Jerusalem.
Observers from the Border Police patrol unit first noticed the group digging a tunnel near the fence and alerted officers in the field, who then went to the scene.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/crime-in-israel/article-905783 JPost]
___
Kurdish PM Barzani says Iranian drones targeted his office, intelligence chief’s home.
Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said Iranian drones targeted his office and the home of the region’s intelligence chief, calling the attacks a “dangerous escalation” and “a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region.”
“These attacks will not deter us from carrying out our duties and protecting our citizens,” Barzani wrote on X, citing an investigation by the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Unit.
The KRG’s security agency earlier said that two drones launched from Iranian territory targeted the prime minister’s office, with no casualties reported.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0f90-d06f-a9b6-5fdf12b50000 JNS]
____
Hamas detonates explosive, fires toward troops near Yellow Line in northern Gaza, IDF says.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-1011-dc16-a9e2-51bd14c40000 JNS]
_____
Israel stations soldiers at entrances to homes in Palestinian village Qusra, residents remain confined.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0ffc-dd9b-a9f5-1fff5d7c0000 JNS]
____
Trump says Hamas agreed to disarm, urges Israel to halt Gaza strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed to Fox News on Monday that Washington has a separate channel of communication with Hamas and said the terrorist group had agreed to give up its arms.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0f83-dd78-a7fe-bf970ce30000 JNS]
_____
Emotional Return.
Ex-Hostage Visits Gush Katif Museum.
Ohana, held captive in Hamas tunnels for two years after being abducted on Simchat Torah, toured the Jerusalem museum preserving the memory of Gaza's former Jewish communities.
Eliana Fleming, Srugim
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/gush-katif-museum JFeed]
____
UN helped Iran expand anti-drug crackdown despite execution concerns.
Iranian seizures of meth increased from 30,393 kilograms in 2022 to 40,453 kg. in 2025 with the help of the technology, according to the United Nations.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905786 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is facing criticism after helping Iran expand its anti-drug enforcement capabilities despite widespread concerns that drug suspects face torture, unfair trials, and execution.
✍️ @DanielleGreyman.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2089343215665078641 on X]
_____
Meeting between Kushner and Hamas sparks unease among Palestinian Authority officials.
Several officials were left perplexed following the meeting, with them expressing concern over the US's treatment of Hamas and its approach to the Palestinian issue.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905785 JPost]
____
Trump hints at endorsing candidate in Israeli election, despite calling it best to 'stay out'.
Speaking to FOX's Trey Yingst in a phone call, Trump noted that "I think it's most appropriate for me to stay out of the Israeli elections," adding that "I may endorse somebody."
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-905784 JPost]
____.
Israel, US agree Hamas weapons will go to US-led ISF for destruction, not to Palestinian government.
Under the emerging Gaza framework, officials say Hamas weapons would be destroyed by the US-led ISF, while reconstruction and changes to Israel's military posture would depend on full disarmament.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905789 JPost]
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Israel establishes working teams on Gaza disarmament and public health.
The Prime Minister's Office announces two working teams following discussions with the Peace Council. The first team will handle disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, with both Israel and the Peace Council committed to swift completion before reconstruction begins. The second team will address sanitation, clean water, and public health issues affecting Gaza and Israeli residents.
Jfeed Staff. Aug 17, 2026.
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/israel-establishes-working-teams-on-gaza-disarmament-and-public-health-49635 JFeed]
____
Mounting Antisemitic Attacks, Institutional Failures Leave Canadian Jews Asking: Stay or Go?
August 17, 2026
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/17/mounting-antisemitic-attacks-institutional-failures-leave-canadian-jews-asking-stay-or-go/ Algemeiner]
____
Florida:
Bipartisan leaders condemn candidate’s antisemitic attacks.
Israel National News.
Aug 18, 2026, 5:22 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431856 INN]
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Hamas Built Secret Army in Lebanon.
Intelligence analysis of documents seized in Gaza shows Hamas established an independent military presence in Lebanon with Iranian and Hezbollah backing, intended to open a northern front against Israel as part of a multi-arena strategyread more
Gila Isaacson, Kikar Hashabbat. Aug 17, 2026.
...Though the full plan was never completely realized, Hamas's military wing in Lebanon joined the fighting after October 7, 2023, claiming responsibility for multiple attacks against northern Israel. This active involvement illustrates that the Lebanese presence was part of a broader, carefully planned strategic concept aimed at opening another front against Israel within a multi-arena framework.
The intelligence disclosure adds to a series of revelations about Hamas's plans to expand the conflict. The IDF recently warned soldiers along the Yellow Line about Hamas attempts to reshape the narrative on the ground. Additionally, former U.S. President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with senior Hamas figures in Egypt and pressed for immediate disarmament.
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/hamas-secret-army-lebanon JFeed]
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Claims escalation in Gaza.
Erdogan slams Israel in Trump call.
Elad Benari.
Aug 18, 2026, 2:07 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431852 INN]
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Israel responsible?
Reports of unusual airstrike on airbase deep in Syria.
Yitz Goldberg.
Aug 18, 2026, 8:07 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431861 INN]
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After 44 years:
Remains of last Sultan Yaqub MIA found.
IDF representatives inform the family of Yehuda Katz that his remains have been located, 44 years after he went missing in the Battle of Sultan Yaqub.
Israel National News.
Aug 18, 2026, 8:59 AM
...Katz was the last soldier from the Battle of Sultan Yaqub in 1982 to be classified as missing in action.
The finding of his remains brings a years-long intelligence and military saga to an end. In 2019, the body of Zechariah Baumel was returned to Israel through Russian mediation.
In 2025, a special secret Mossad mission brought the body of Zvi Feldman home.
Katz, Baumel, and Feldman were classified as missing in action after the Battle of Sultan Yaqub, which occurred on June 11th, 1982, at a crossroads south of the village of Sultan Yaqub in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, during the First Lebanon War.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431867 INN]
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ISIS attack plot targeting Be’er Sheva nightclub foiled.
A 20-year-old Negev resident is indicted for allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired attack on a Be’er Sheva nightclub and seeking to join the terror group in Syria.
Israel National News
Aug 18, 2026, 11:40 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431873 INN]
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Kushner: Gaza demilitarization could begin within 30 days.
“And hopefully filling in some of the tunnels as well in the next 60 to 90 days,” the Trump administration envoy said.
Aug 18, 2026.
[https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/kushner-gaza-demilitarization-could-begin-within-30-days JNS]
_____
<hr>
</small>
[[Category:Middle East]]
[[Category:Iran]]
[[Continued operations on Islamic Republic of Iran, proxies , May 4 2026+]]
This is a continuation of [Continued operations on Islamic Republic of Iran, proxies , May 4 2026+ - sources Part 1].
<small>
==Part 1==
'Peace first, war later': Arab state urged potential Israel partner to sign deal before launching war.
Aug 10, 2026.
Arab state reportedly urged another potential Israel-normalization country to sign deal with Israel, then go to war ‘when time is right’
i24NEWS. August 10, 2026.
Information cleared for publication by the Israeli military has revealed a reported exchange between several countries in the region over a possible agreement with Israel, according to reports by Israeli media Kan 11 and Channel 12.
According to the reports, one Arab state allegedly advised another country to first sign an agreement with Israel and then, if circumstances became more favorable, launch a war against the Jewish state.
identity of the country that received the advice remains classified.
The revelations come as the Middle East undergoes major strategic shifts. The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020, established diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Morocco and Sudan later joining the normalization process, although Sudan’s agreement was never fully implemented.
The latest developments also come after Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the “Mecca Pact,” a defense agreement under which an attack against one member would be considered an attack against all three.
UAE restores ties with Tehran while deepening Israel alliance
UAE restores ties with Tehran while deepening Israel alliance Iran subsequently warned that the agreement would not guarantee Saudi Arabia’s security. Turkey’s foreign minister responded that the alliance was not directed against Tehran and said Egypt was considering joining the pact, potentially expanding the arrangement into a four-country defense alliance
[https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/artc-peace-first-war-later-arab-state-urged-potential-israel-partner-to-sign-peace-deal-before-launching-war i24]
They are for war (Ps.120:7).
What happens when an official in one of the countries in the region advises an official in another country to pursue a peace agreement with Israel in order to "stun" it in preparation for a future campaign against it? As expected, Israeli intelligence recognizes this and, in a rare case, also approves of publishing the unusual discourse. An expert also explains to "Center of Affairs" the Israeli tactics.
By Avraham Cohen.
The dramatic consultation that was recently revealed by the State of Israel caused a fierce storm among the political and security leadership in Israel. Last week, the matter was allowed to be published, without relevant names, and the State of Israel and the entire region were exposed to the dramatic event.
The consultation that was revealed was short, but explosive and dangerous. According to the report, which was first published in Kan News, an official in one of the countries in the region advised an official in another country to reach an agreement with Israel in order to "reject" Israel. During the conversation, the advisor suggested that the other party seek help after an "agreement" with Israel for a confrontation against it, while there was an official peace agreement between the countries. In fact, behind the recommendation was one senior official in the region who advised it to choose another country.
Although the conversation between the senior officials was supposed to take place in secret, Israel knew about the project all along.
Impact on preparations.
It was later revealed that Israel had known about the dramatic information for months, according to N12 reports, remarked that for a long time Israel was conducting itself while being aware of the content of the consultations, while the Western countries were unaware that the information had been revealed.
According to the report, the information significantly affects Israeli conduct with regional actors. It was also reported that the conversation between the two Arab countries dealt with a plan designed to oust Israel by signing a diplomatic agreement, while preparing for a major war and violating the agreement in the future.
It was also noted that the same discourse affects both Israeli assessments of the country that advised and the country that received the advice. Avraham concluded that "given that the entire event rests on alliances and the hope of expanding the circle of peace, one can understand what a chilling effect it had on elements on various fronts."
The reporter also reported that in the past week there have been changes in the balance of regional power, with a peace alliance being negotiated between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. The agreement between the parties, which was dubbed the "Mecca Agreement," included a triple defense, by virtue of which "an armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three."
Contacts.
At the same time, the State of Israel has been holding direct talks and contacts with the regime of Muhammad al-Sharaa for the past two years. Initially, it reached an agreement between the parties.
Al-Sharaa, who overthrew the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in just months and sentenced him to death just last week, has been presenting a new and revolutionary vision since coming to power. The man who is nurturing al-Qaeda's jihadist organizations has been presenting quite surprising positions since his election; he is adamant about wearing a caliphate, dismantling the White House and hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in his country with great fanfare.
Al-Sharaa also presents a quite surprising position. His foreign minister has met with senior Israeli officials on more than one occasion, and Al-Sharaa himself met with the Syrian Jewish community that currently lives in the United States during his visit to the country, as a sign of a change of direction on his part.
The new relations between Israel and Syria have been blocked from all sides, and those who are promoting the full-force obstruction are the Americans, who are known for their complete lack of familiarity with the mood in the Middle East. About a year ago, President Trump proposed that Israel join the Abraham Accords. Shortly before that, the Americans lifted the sanctions that were in place on Syria during the Assad era.
Despite Trump's proposal, it is reported that Israel negotiated with the United Arab Emirates to bring Syria into the Abraham Accords.
Several months later, the Syrian president said in an interview with the Jewish media outlet 'Jewish Journal' that he wanted to return to the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria, calling for it to begin with airstrikes on Syrian territory, and saying that Israel and Syria have common enemies.
Furthermore, the Syrian government headed by al-Sharaa did not condemn the Israeli attack on Iran, but rather strongly condemned the Iranian attack on the American base in Qatar. After Israel's first operation in Iran, senior Syrian officials said that direct dialogue was underway with Israel and that Syria was not considering a peace agreement until the end of US President Trump's term.
In this context, it is worth noting that the tightening relations are even more disturbing given that the Syrian president's main sponsor is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of Israel's most prominent regional rivals. Other regional leaders who support his rule are the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar.
Deception operations.
Returning to the revealed consultation. Israel, it is important to note, has repeatedly repeated similar moves in the past, most notably the horrific massacre on Simchat Torah 5774, which occurred in the midst of a period in which it was conducting dialogue with Hamas.
In a conversation with the Center for the Study of the State of Israel, expert on mind warfare, Dr. Ron Shleifer, notes that the announcement in Israel was made with deep thought and is indicative of the psychological war against those elements. "Israel," he claims, "shows here that it has vast information, and therefore an impressive deterrent power against the countries of the region, which also warns against revealing information that they would not want to be revealed by us."
[https://d9qzcm38j0qkz3.archive.ph/KRlv8/7efaba945807b04ea8b40563e8890fde91807527.jpg]
8.18.26
[https://disq.us/p/36hpjhy at EoZ]
____
==Part 11==
The Missing Context of Bibas Family Captor Terrorist Group in Mass Funeral Coverage.
Coverage of a mass funeral event in Gaza failed to disclose the terrorists being buried, and the involvement of the Mujahideen Brigades.
By HonestReporting Staff. August 10, 2026
The Missing Context of Bibas Family Captor Terrorist Group in Mass Funeral Coverage
Bibas Family bodies released.
Key Takeaways:
-A mass funeral was held last week in Gaza for members of the Abu Sharia family who died in November, 2023.
-The Abu Sharia clan is closely tied to the Mujahideen Movement, and key figures in the terrorist organization were killed in the incident.
The media failed to mention the slain terrorists, or the ties of the family to the organization that had held members of the Bibas family hostage.
[https://honestreporting.com/the-missing-context-of-bibas-family-captor-terrorist-group-in-mass-funeral-coverage/ HonestReporting]
___
Senior IRGC Official: Iran's Basij Told to Expand Operations Abroad | MEMRI.
August 11, 2026.
[https://www.memri.org/tv/mohammad-reza-naqdi-winning-war-not-enough-vengeance-khamenei-basij-operations-abroad MEMRI]
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CNN panel devolves into chaos as Dems accuse GOP of ‘anti-Muslim’ attack on El-Sayed by using his full name.
By Taylor Herzlich, New York Post, August 11, 2026.
A CNN panel exploded in a heated clash Monday night after Dems accused Republicans of launching an “anti-Muslim” attack on Michigan Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed by running an ad campaign using his full name.
During “CNN NewsNight” with guest host Jon Berman, the panel discussed Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) defense of an ad campaign that blasts El-Sayed as a dangerous candidate and uses the controversial lefty pol’s full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
In an interview clip, the senator was asked whether the ads are an attempt to tell voters “hint, hint…he’s Muslim.” Scott responded, “Not at all … I can get called Timothy Eugene. I get called that all the time.”
After replaying the clip on CNN, Berman jibed, “I have never heard Tim Scott referred to as Timothy Eugene in a campaign ad.”
Niall Stanage, an Irish journalist and associate editor at The Hill, jumped in with a furious take on the GOP ad campaign.
“I don’t know how [Scott] says that with a straight face, honestly,” Stanage said. “The idea that using Tim Scott’s full name, unabbreviated, is equivalent to using Abdul El-Sayed’s full name is just ludicrous. It is obviously in El-Sayed’s case an appeal to anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment.”
Jason Rantz, a conservative radio host, sarcastically sniped: “People didn’t know he was Muslim until they said his full name.”….
[https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/media/cnn-panel-devolves-into-chaos-as-dems-accuse-gop-of-anti-muslim-attack-on-el-sayed-by-using-his-full-name/ NYPost]
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Global campaign launched to counter claims of Israeli genocide in Gaza.
International Legal Forum and more than 35 other organizations argue the terrorist group has hijacked the term to spread 'a modern blood libel'.
Author of the article:By National Post Staff
Published Aug 11, 2026
[https://nationalpost.com/news/world/global-campaign-launched-to-counter-claims-of-israeli-genocide-in-gaza NationalPost]
Global coalition of orgs launch ‘Gaza GenoLIE’ initiative to counter ‘modern blood libel’.
JPost. Aug 13, 2026
Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, said: “Calling Israel’s defensive war against Hamas a ‘genocide’ is not activism; it is a modern blood libel dressed up in academic language.”
By Marhilda Heller. August 13, 2026.
An alliance of 55 organizations has this week launched Gaza GenoLIE, an educational initiative about the “generated and orchestrated genocide lie promoted by anti-Zionists and antisemitic networks in the US, Europe and around the world.”
It further says that the “Gaza Genocide” is one of the biggest lies of the 21st century.
The website includes eight pieces of what it describes as “the Gaza GenoLIE puzzle.”
The initiative is led by organizations from around the world, including the Ireland-Israel Alliance, the Solomon Observatory on Discrimination (Italy), the Sweden-Israel Alliance, and others. There are also some major bodies on the list, including Stand With Us, the World Jewish Congress, CAMERA, and the National Jewish Advocacy Center
Clicking on each of the eight puzzle pieces takes the user to an explanatory page.
Lie #1: Genocide claims against Israel only appeared after the October 7 Massacre The first “lie” revolves around the notion that genocide claims against Israel only appeared after October 7, 2023. The website notes that calls of genocide were already widely used on social media and during protests on October 8, before the IDF even began a ground operation in Gaza.
Genocide is a well-established legal term and standard, proven by a pattern of conduct assessed over time. The website says that an accusation lodged within 24-48 hours after the Hamas massacre against Israel, before any such pattern could exist, “is a predetermined narrative, not a finding.”
Lie #2: Israel's actions legally constitute genocide The second “lie” presented is that Israel’s actions constitute genocide under the legal framework.
The crime of genocide was defined in the 1948 Genocide Convention, drafted following the Holocaust. Under Article II, genocide means certain acts – killing, causing serious harm, inflicting destructive conditions of life – committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.”
Intent is key when finding a state or party responsible for genocide. Additionally, if any other reasonable explanation for the conduct exists, the charge of genocide fails as a matter of law.
In Israel’s case, the website says “because a lawful war objective following a massacre of its civilians is a reasonable explanation for Israel’s conduct, genocidal intent cannot be the only reasonable inference.”
Therefore, under the ICJ’s own test, it says the genocide argument fails.
Other parts of the puzzle featured on the website include discussion of Hamas’s use of human shields, the use of sick Gazan children to generate optics of famine, and the accusations of war on journalists.
“The “Gaza GenoLIE” is the most dangerous example of a decades-long deliberate and systematic hijacking, redefinition, inversion, and weaponization of facts and law,” said the International Legal Forum.
Our Fight UK said, “While challenging the libel with the facts is an important step, it is no longer enough.”
“It’s time that we demanded our politicians state clearly where they stand. Our public life is being distorted and devalued as violence and intimidation are given free rein, justified by the false claim of genocide; yet our public figures are too cowardly to challenge it.”
Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, said: “Calling Israel’s defensive war against Hamas a ‘genocide’ is not activism; it is a modern blood libel dressed up in academic language.”
“We’ve watched this lie spread from social media into classrooms, city councils, and even Congress, and it has emboldened people to harass and threaten Jews in broad daylight. The Gaza GenoLIE campaign exposes this libel for what it is: a coordinated disinformation effort, not a legitimate critique. Antisemites don’t get to hide behind a hashtag.”
“When we table on campus and visit universities, and we ask them what they know about Israel, the word “genocide” is the first one they say,” said Ilan Sinelnikov, President, Students Supporting Israel.
“We all know there is no genocide in Gaza. What there is is a big lie. The GenoLie that is being fed to hundreds of thousands. The GenoLie initiative will make it fast and easy to debunk those lies.”
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905476 JPost]
Gaza GenoLIE Campaign Exposes How "Genocide" Definition Was Intentionally Distorted
The genocide charge rests on a legal standard repeatedly stretched to fit the accusation. International courts require specific intent, and the ICJ has never ruled that it existed in Gaza.
Jewish Onliner
Aug 13, 2026
[https://jewishonliner.org/p/gaza-genolie-icj-disinformation-hrw-israel-hamas Jewish Onliner]
New Campaign Aims to Dispel ‘Genocide Libel’ Against Israel, Slams Mamdani for Role in Pushing False Charge.
Bu Corey Walker. August 13, 2026.
More than 50 Jewish and non-Jewish organizations have joined forces in a new international campaign aimed at challenging what they describe as a coordinated “genocide” narrative against Israel that emerged in the aftermath of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
The global initiative’s website, GazaGenoLIE.com, argues that the genocide allegation was rapidly promoted by Hamas and its supporters as part of a broader effort to delegitimize Israel, while downplaying Israel’s stated efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and the context of the defensive war against terrorists. The campaign seeks to dismantle what it calls the “Gaza GenoLIE” by presenting evidence showing how the narrative emerged and spread worldwide.
The campaign’s website lays out what it describes as eight key “pieces” of the Gaza “GenoLIE” narrative: the emergence of genocide accusations almost immediately after the Oct. 7 attack; what organizers characterize as distortions of the legal definition of genocide and the role of intent; portrayals of Israel’s war against Hamas as a war against Palestinians; Hamas’s alleged use of civilians and civilian infrastructure as human shields; what the campaign calls the use of severely ill children to support claims of an Israeli-created famine; allegations that journalists killed in Gaza were deliberately targeted because of their profession; and the spread of the genocide accusation into what the organizers call a “blood libel” against Jews worldwide. The organizers conclude that the “genocide libel” is part of a larger effort to delegitimize and stigmatize Israel on the international stage.
“Israel’s conduct throughout the war included a series of measures that would be inexplicable for a state aiming to target a whole population. Israel issued evacuation warnings days and weeks in advance; dropped millions of leaflets; and placed tens of millions of phone calls, texts, and recorded messages in Arabic urging civilians to leave combat zones,” the website reads.
Among the organizations participating are the World Jewish Congress, Zionist Organization of America, StopAntisemitism, Students Supporting Israel, CAMERA, HonestReporting, and the Maccabee Task Force.
The campaign comes as Israel and its supporters continue to fight a widely accepted narrative in progressive circles that the Jewish state’s military operations aim to eliminate the Palestinian population rather than specifically the Hamas terrorist group, which explicitly seeks Israel’s destruction.
One of the campaign’s examples is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a public official who has accused Israel of “genocide[sic]” on numerous occasions. Only six days after the Hamas-led massacre in Israel, he posted on social media that “we are on the brink of a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.” The initiative argues that such statements helped establish the genocide narrative before Israel’s ground operation in Gaza had even begun.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who at the time was a member of the New York State Assembly, went on to call for a ceasefire and an end to additional US military funding for Israel in his Oct. 13, 2023, post.
Contemporary reporting confirms that Mamdani participated that evening in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Brooklyn, where he was arrested after protesters blocked traffic outside the home of then-US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Jewish Democrat.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/13/new-campaign-aims-dispel-genocide-libel-against-israel-slams-mamdani-role-pushing-false-charge/ Algemeiner]
The Gaza GenoLIE is the GENerated and Orchestrated LIE about genocide in Gaza, promoted by anti-Zionist and antisemitic ...
[https://gazagenolie.com/ Gaza GenoLIE]
The Gaza GenoLIE started on Oct 8.
The National Jewish Assembly.
August 12, 2026.
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-3pjyPIOwNw on YouTube]
Ben Benson (@berlinerbenben) • Instagram.
berlinerbenben:
Aug 14, 2026.
The obviously false genocide claim against Israel is all about Holocaust inversion — the obviously nonsensical historical distortion intended to (1) demean Israel in disregard of the facts, (2) diminish the seriousness of the Holocaust, (3) offend Jews, and (4) fuel the anti-Jewish hate that plagues our communities.
If you want parallels, see how Hamas and the Nazis poisoned youths’ minds with hate and martyrdom; and how they hid in their bunkers and left civilians to died in the crossfire.
[https://www.instagram.com/p/Db-a-fZEd0S/c/18338499850283978/ on Instagram]
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New Details:
How Trump secretly switched planes after Iran missile threat.
New details reveal how security officials quietly moved Trump to a smaller military aircraft after intelligence indicated a possible missile threat near the NATO summit in Turkey.
Israel National News.
Aug 12, 2026, 12:28 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431601 INN]
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Father of Hostage: 'Terrorists at Nahal Oz spoke Farsi'.
Eyal Eshel says testimony from those at Nahal Oz indicates terrorists were heard speaking Persian during the October 7 attack.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 2:09 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431605 INN]
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Dozens of illegal structures demolished in northern Samaria.
Civil Administration forces carried out a major enforcement operation ahead of the planned return of Israeli families to Ganim and Kadim.
Hezki Baruch.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 1:17 PM (GMT+3)
The Civil Administration’s Enforcement Unit carried out a large-scale enforcement operation in northern Samaria on Wednesday, demolishing dozens of illegal Palestinian structures located along roads and in areas near the towns of Ganim and Kadim.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431603 INN]
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COGAT's unusual warning to Gazans
Israel warns Gaza residents to stay away. from the Yellow Line, accusing Hamas of deliberately pushing civilians toward the area despite the danger.
Yoni Kempinski. Aug 12, 2026, 2:36 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431604 INN]
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Jewish tourist wearing kippah assaulted in consecutive Rome attacks.
French Jewish tourist attacked twice in central Rome over two days, leading Italian police to arrest a suspect on hate crime charges.
Israel National News. Aug 12, 2026.
Italian law enforcement officers took a 31-year-old unhoused Algerian citizen with a prior criminal history into custody on suspicion of carrying out repeated violent acts against a 22-year-old French visitor wearing a kippah in central Rome, according to details published Tuesday by Ynet.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431587 INN]
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Mladenov: Claims of Board of Peace-Hamas deal are false.
Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov rejects claims of a Hamas funding deal, saying Hamas will have no role in Gaza's governance or access to funds.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 4:16 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431611 INN]
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WJC study.
81% of antisemitic content remains online.
Israel National News.
Aug 12, 2026, 5:00 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431614 INN]
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Iran: No talks with US on extending ceasefire.
As 60-day ceasefire period nears its end, Tehran says it does not recognize an official start date and accuses Washington of violating the agreement.
Israel National News
Aug 12, 2026, 4:48 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431607 INN]
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Hamas intensified Gaza torture, interrogations post-Oct. 2025 ceasefire, IDF Arabic spox says.
Hamas employs physical violence, blackmail, psychological threats and harm, prolonged isolation, and a range of other forms of mistreatment, the IDF said.
Jonah Davidov. August 12, 2026.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905295 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Hamas has intensified interrogations and torture against Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, in an effort to bolster its authority over the Strip.
August 12, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087499357889188226 on X]
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Gaza BoP agreement grants Hamas military wing $160 million in cash, Liberman claims.
Liberman further noted a recent incident in which IDF commanders came across a group of 50 Hamas Nuhkba terrorists who were conducting an exercise in which they practiced raiding a Jewish settlement.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905315 JPost]
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Hamas may receive up to $400 million in debt relief under BoP plan - report.
BoP Director-General Nikolay Mladenov disputed the report, saying that "such a proposal has not been discussed, negotiated, considered, and will not be on the agenda in the future."
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905312 JPost]
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Concern grows in Israel as mother, daughter mysteriously vanish in Vienna
Mali Yahalomi, 50, and her 23-year-old daughter Liel have been missing since Friday after failing to board their return flight; their Vienna apartment was found empty.
August 12, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905319 JPost]
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After 17 years, Israel and Venezuela begin rebuilding ties through humanitarian aid - opinion.
The landscape began to shift following the US capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 and assumed a human dimension after the disaster.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905311 JPost]
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Saudi Arabia bets on defensive alliances to deter slide into war - analysis.
Riyadh faces a dilemma: how to deter attacks and protect the ambitious economic vision it is pursuing without becoming entangled in a broader conflict in the region.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905308 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The Middle East and North Africa hold vast oil and gas reserves, but the region’s natural resource landscape extends far beyond energy.
Water scarcity, mineral wealth, limited farmland, and fisheries are shaping economies and their futures across the region.
August 12, 2026.
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087523815727255682 on X]
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Live updates: Israel warns Trump of Iran assassination plot, Lebanon failing to disarm Hezbollah.
Trump covertly escorted off Air Force One to another plane • Iranian official says US blockade worse than war • Israeli officials say LAF not doing enough on the ground.
Aug 12, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-12/live-updates-905257 JPost]
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IDF conducts strikes in southern Lebanon as LAF continues to operate in pilot zones - report.
According to the LAF, Israel's actions consistently hinder its ability to operate in the pilot zones and work to return south Lebanese residents to their homes.
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-905314 JPost]
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Pakistan Invites Muslim Nations to Join the New ‘Islamic NATO’.
Christine WilliamsAugust 12, 2026
A threat – potentially rivaling that of Iran.
[https://www.frontpagemag.com/pakistan-invites-muslim-nations-to-join-the-new-islamic-nato/ FPM]
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Iran's plan to drag out war until end of Trump era.
A senior adviser to the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Iran could prolong the war until President Trump leaves the White House.
Nitzan Tsur.
Aug 12, 2026, 8:38 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431625 INN]
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Near Cave of Patriarchs: Muslim cleric arrested for incitement, encouraging terror attacks.
Police arrest 70-year-old cleric from Hebron who allegedly encouraged riots and violence.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 12, 2026, 9:20 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431629 INN]
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Hunter Biden, Tucker Carlson Unite Over ‘Evil[sic] Incarnate’ Netanyahu, Blame Israel for Laptop Scandal.
August 12, 2026
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/12/hunter-biden-tucker-carlson-unite-evil-incarnate-netanyahu-blame-israel-laptop-scandal/ Algemeiner]
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Abdul El-Sayed Lies About ‘Apartheid’: Israeli Arabs Have Full Rights, and Say So Themselves.
By Jason Shvili. August 12, 2026.
Last week, Abdul El-Sayed, who just won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, accused Israel of, among other calumnies, the crime of “apartheid.” Like similar anti-Israel libels currently in vogue (e.g., “genocide,” “starvation”), the assertion that Israel is an apartheid state has no factual basis — indeed, the inverse is true. Israel isn’t just the only democracy in the Middle East and North Africa; it’s also the region’s only country that grants equal rights to all its citizens.
Israeli Arabs enjoy rights and freedoms that many in Arab states can only dream of. Israeli Arabs are allowed to vote in free elections, work in any profession, and hold office at every level of Israel’s government. By comparison, most Arab countries deny their people even the most basic rights.
Furthermore, there’s no limitation in Israeli society to Israeli Arab achievement. Not only do Israeli Arabs have equal opportunities to their Jewish counterparts; they are also overrepresented in some important sectors of Israeli society, especially health care. In contrast, opportunities for people in most Arab countries, especially women and religious or ethnic minorities, are severely limited.
This contrast in political and social freedoms between Israeli and Palestinian societies is dramatic. Indeed, human rights activists truly concerned about “freeing Palestine” would better direct their criticisms toward the Palestinian Authority (PA), which tyrannically governs daily Palestinian life in the disputed territories of Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”), and Hamas, until recently the iron-fisted dictatorship in Gaza.
If we’re discussing apartheid, it’s noteworthy that while two million Arabs live free in Israel, no Jews are allowed in Palestinian-ruled lands. In fact, in Palestinian-ruled territories, even selling land to Jews is punishable by death.
While, like every Western democracy, Israel is a work in progress that strives constantly to correct its imperfections, it is, according to many Israeli Arabs, a veritable paradise.
Israel is, for its Arab citizens, the complete opposite of apartheid. Apartheid, which originated in South Africa, separated blacks and whites in public spaces, transportation, and residential zones, and it denied most civil liberties to its black citizens. Nothing could be farther from reality in Israel.
The scope of civil rights guaranteed to Israeli Arabs, as well as other non-Jews, is unparalleled in the Arab Middle East and North Africa. All citizens of Israel are guaranteed basic rights consistent with a modern democracy, including equality before the law, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, women’s rights, and rights for sexual minorities (i.e., LGBTQ+). Women’s rights are rare in the Arab world, where wife abuse is legal in many places, and LGBTQ+ rights are non-existent.
Like other democracies, Israel holds free and fair elections. All citizens are eligible to vote and hold office. Although some Arab states such as Jordan and Kuwait hold elections, there are many restrictions and no path to regime change, regardless of who wins.
Israeli Arabs have served at every level of power in the country — as Knesset members, cabinet ministers, and Supreme Court justices. Khaled Kabub, a Muslim Arab, is currently a Supreme Court Justice. A previous Supreme Court Justice, Salim Joubran, a Christian Arab, was once chair of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, the body that supervises Israel’s elections. None of this would be possible if Israel were an apartheid state.
No wonder Yoseph Haddad, a prominent Arab Israeli activist and former IDF soldier, wrote, “I am thankful to have been born in the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.”
“Israel is the best country for Arabs living in the Middle East,” according to Yahya Mahamid, a Muslim Arab, IDF veteran, and activist. One reason is that Israel boasts opportunities for its Arab citizens that don’t exist in Arab states. Indeed, Israeli Arabs participate in all levels of Israel’s economy and society. The unemployment rate for Israel’s Arab citizens — 2.8% in 2025 — dwarfs unemployment in most Arab states.
Furthermore, although Israeli Arabs (except Druze) aren’t required to serve in the IDF, thousands do, including Ella Waweya, a Muslim Arab, who heads the IDF’s Arabic media division, and holds the rank of lieutenant-colonel, the fifth-highest rank in the IDF.
Israeli Arabs live in freedom, while Arab people in the Palestinian territories suffer under dictatorship. Whereas approximately two million Israeli Arabs enjoy the fruits of democracy, their fellow Arabs in Palestinian-ruled territory languish under regimes that oppress and brutalize them on a daily basis.
Like all non-Israeli-citizens, Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria, and Gaza are not governed by Israeli law, but by autocratic dictatorships. Indeed, in the Palestinian-ruled territories, neither basic rights nor rule of law exists. Torture, arbitrary arrest, censorship, and even summary executions are commonplace.
Nor is democracy practiced. Elections haven’t been held in the Palestinian-ruled territories since 2006. PA President Mahmoud Abbas is now in the 20th year of his four-year term, and though he has repeatedly promised new elections, he has never delivered.
Non-Muslims, mostly Christians, in Palestinian-ruled territory are subject to severe persecution. Not surprisingly, since the Oslo Accords were signed in the 1990s, the Palestinian Christian population has nosedived. Even in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, Christians have been reduced to a tiny minority, while Jews are entirely prohibited from living anywhere in the Palestinian-ruled territories.
Abdul El-Sayed lied: Israel isn’t perfect, but it’s a paradise compared to Arab states. Thus, it’s not surprising that, according to a 2025 report by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), 67% of Israeli Arabs consider Israel a good place to live — slightly more than the 65% of Jews who said the same.
Anyone who claims Israel is an apartheid state would be wise to 1) heed the words of Israeli Arabs themselves, who sing the praises of the Jewish State, and 2) examine the facts, which prove that Israel is an oasis of freedom and prosperity for Arabs in a region mostly characterized by tyranny and poverty.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/12/abdul-el-sayed-lies-about-apartheid-israeli-arabs-have-full-rights-and-say-so-themselves/ Algemeiner]
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21 years later, first families reestablish their homes in Ganim.
'Today, we are bringing life back to Ganim,' Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said at a ceremony marking the reestablishment of the community, 21 years after the Disengagement. 'Ganim will become a huge community-10 times its current size!'
Israel National News
Aug 13, 2026, 1:53 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431658 INN]
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Hiking should not be a crime punishable by death - opinion.
Israeli settlers entering a Palestinian village can be seen from two perspectives.
By Yisrael Medad
August 13, 2026.
([https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_720,w_1280/731280].
A Palestinian assailant attacks Israeli hikers near Gilad Farm, northern West Bank, July 24, 2026. photo credit: VIA WALLA).
If you are opposed to the enterprise of the resettling of Jews in the West Bank, ambivalent on the matter, or even an uninterested news consumer, the version of events of Friday, July 24, that you probably have absorbed since then has gone through a process of extreme distillation and ideological refinement.
One news site informed its readers that “Israeli settlers entered a Palestinian village.” Then, it added, residents of an outpost community “came out to repel the settlers.” After that, according to the same news source, one of the Arab villagers “snatched a settler’s weapon and opened fire.”
The background framing included additional information to wit: “Armed settlers had trespassed, [which is] consistent with the common strategy of ‘initiating friction.’”
Blame has been apportioned; Jewish guilt has been declared.
Reactions to the incident.
At 1:40 p.m. on the day of the incident, only five hours or so after the shootings, Ksenia Svetlova posted on X/Twitter.
A decade ago, Svetlova was a member of the Knesset for the Zionist Union (an alliance of the Labor Party and Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua). Currently, she is an associate fellow at Chatham House in London, where former prime minister Ehud Barak memorably declared on March 27, 2023, that some members of Israel’s government were “lunatic racists on the extreme Right.”
In her tweet, Svetlova reversed the narrative, as if it were Arabs who had illegally entered a Jewish settlement.
She then returned to relative reality, highlighting the narrative of settler violence. According to Svetlova, the hike in which Israeli settlers entered a Palestinian region was in Area A (yet the road they were walking on was actually in Area B), and they entered the village (but in actuality, the Arabs came out).
Despite the video evidence she posted, Svetlova, as did others, ignored the fact that the hikers, as well as the IDF soldiers who arrived, and Capt. (res.) Benayahu Mellet, who was ordered to join in, all fired numerous shots in the air for over a minute, intentionally trying not to harm any of the Arabs.
Another, Dror Etkes of Kerem Navot, which is an anti-occupation NGO that “monitors and researches Israeli land policy in the West Bank,” also posted about the incident on Twitter.
He had a narrative that claimed the incident was in fact over, except that the “settlers” then arrived. Etkes’s perspective can be demonstrated by a later X post, from July 28, in which he called the head of the IDF Central Command “settler IDF apartheid General [Avi] Bluth.”
The military’s investigation into the incident was published on August 5. It was not withheld from the public, just as an investigation into another sensitive incident that occurred in November 2024, when two soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon while investigating a historical site, was published. The IDF found that Mellet acted with “extreme heroism” and defined the Arabs involved as “terrorists.”
The participants insisted they were not properly in the village. True, the report found that security authorities had not approved the outing, but the Shomron Brigade did receive preliminary but very unclear information about it several hours beforehand, and that the Arab residents were those who initiated contact, confronting the hikers.
Hiking or a provocation?
I will not second-guess the act of unstrapping one’s rifle from one’s body, which seemingly led to the weapon being snatched, or even if it was wise to get so close to the rioters, even pushing and shoving them. Other points need to be addressed, nevertheless.
Walking through the Land of Israel should not be considered a crime, nor a provocation, and certainly not an act that permits local Arabs to throw stones at the hikers or to seek to do them violent injury.
I myself experienced a similar situation back in 1989, in the pre-Oslo Accords period. We were nowhere near a village but rather deep in a wadi, which provided an advantage to the stone throwers. Our presence was enough to have them initiate violence. We were not in a grove of olive trees, in a field of barley, or trudging through someone’s backyard. We were Jews.
We were doing nothing more than what president Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and his wife, Rachel Yanait, had done before World War I – we were walking throughout the country.
Hikes were also part of the early Yishuv school system, and Israeli writer, lecturer, and geographer Zev Vilnay made a living leading them.
([https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/721157].
Palestinians throw stones at Jewish settlers as they establish a pastoral outpost at the site where Jewish settler Yehuda Sherman was murdered, near the village of Beit Mirin north of Nablus in the West Bank).
Further, the Palmach marched across Samaria and through the Judean Desert and made sure to visit Hebron in the early 1940s, at a time when the British banned entry to non-residents.
Exploring the land was, and continues to be, a natural Jewish act, in the spirit of: “Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it” (Genesis 13:17).
Yes, some Jewish residents beyond the Green Line are or can be violent. However, the “settler violence” campaign is a travesty of the facts and the context.
Worse, it is intended to cover up the numerous acts of Arab violence and terror, and the seriousness of the damage done and intended. Friday’s hike participants were not a bunch of vigilante hooligans.
A third lesson from the incident is that objective news seems not to be of any interest anymore.
Yasmin Levy of Haaretz, for instance, was quite convinced, as her July 26 TV review column suggested, ... Israeli TV distorted this latest West Bank violence.
If you clicked on Arutz Sheva or the Srugim website, however, you would see a very different picture.
Israeli politicians and public figures have the right to criticize and oppose policies. What we are witnessing, though, is a campaign, still on the fringes, of justifying Arab “resistance” to “colonialist occupation” while downgrading Arab terror.
From the Democrats Party chair Yair Golan’s words .. radical elements are now mourning a sheikh who grabbed a gun from a Jew who was using it to shove him away to then murder that Jew and shoot at a soldier. Even members of Golan’s party protested his description of the attack on the hikers as a “terror act.”
Hiking is a non-threatening endeavor and should not be thought of otherwise. It should not be considered a crime punishable by death.
The writer is a researcher, analyst, and commentator on political, cultural, and media issues.
[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-905207 JPost]
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Blow to Houthi propaganda apparatus.
X has suspended the account of Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, which was used to disseminate the organization’s propaganda and claim responsibility for attacks and launches.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 3:27 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431663 INN]
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Survey:
Majority of Australians fear for religious safety after Bondi.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 5:03 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431668 INN]
Over half of Australians doubt all faiths can live safely after Bondi massacre, CAM reports.
Growing concern over antisemitism and social cohesion intensifies calls for local government action ahead of landmark national summit in Bondi Beach.
Aug 13, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905392 JPost]
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Tradition or politics | Poll discloses what really irritates secular Israelis.
57% of secular Israelis support religious presence in the public realm, provided it is not forced. Two-thirds of young Israelis view Judaism in a positive light.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 10:03 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431648 INN]
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CENTCOM: 59 vessels redirected as part of Iran naval blockade.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-f9c7-d723-ad9f-fbd75a230000 JNS]
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Anthropic in talks to buy Israeli AI startup Decart for $6 billion.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-f9ea-d7e0-a5ff-ffeeaf2a0000 JNS]
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Tel Aviv square officially named Hostages Square.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-f65d-d704-adbf-ff7f046a0000 JNS]
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IDF fires on Gaza terrorist who crossed truce line.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fa2f-d91f-a9bf-fa6f33580000 JNS]
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Girl, 9, lightly wounded in Palestinian rock attack in Samaria.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fa9d-d065-a7df-fbfd895f0000 JNS]
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Israeli forces foil imminent attack, arrest three in Jenin.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-faa4-d17d-a9ff-ffbe43410000 JNS]
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Israel receives thousands of tons of US military equipment.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fac0-d747-adff-fbf1a20e0000 JNS]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The IAF on Thursday attacked a Gazan terror cell in Khan Yunis, the second "attack of choice" in two days after a pause in such attacks since a new US-Hamas deal in late July.
✍️ @Jeremybob1
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087883122587128011 On X]
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IDF strikes Hamas commander in northern Gaza.
Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov denies claims of a financial deal with the terror group.
JNS Staff. Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-strikes-hamas-commander-in-northern-gaza JNS]
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‘Deeply troubling’ how disproportionately Jews targeted in San Francisco, ADL says.
Aaron Bandler.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/deeply-troubling-how-disproportionately-jews-are-targeted-in-san-francisco-adl-says JNS]
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‘Worried for our brothers and sisters,’ Jews near NYC say of Mamdani’s mayorship.
Riki Zagelbaum.
Aug 13, 2026.
[https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/worried-for-our-brothers-and-sisters-jews-near-nyc-say-of-mamdanis-mayorship JNS]
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Hamas plans to run in upcoming Palestinian elections, names status of Al-Aqsa Mosque core priority.
Elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council are set to go ahead on November 28, the first in 20 years after Hamas won in January 2006. Hamas won 74 of the seats, with Fatah following behind.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905406 JPost]
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Settler leaders denounce Kusra violence: ‘This is not our way’.
Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Ganz and Beit El council head Shai Alon condemn extremists, with Alon warning that the violence is causing “irreversible damage” to Israel and the settlement movement.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-905451 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Senior settler leaders denounced violence around the Palestinian village of Kusra, saying it was “not our way” and warning that it was causing “irreversible damage” to Israel and the settlement movement.
August 13, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087891184882422180 X]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
What does Israel need to stay secure? HaBithonistim chairman Erez Winner argues that Israel must rethink its security strategy: from strengthening the IDF and national service to preparing for drones, internal threats and greater self-reliance.
August 13, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087895949494694083 X]
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Lesson of the UAE, Abraham Accords: Lasting peace begins in the classroom - opinion.
But six years later, after the Middle East has gone through one of the most turbulent periods in its history, a deeper lesson can be identified - true peace begins in the classroom.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-905284 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The controversial law aimed at relieving prison overcrowding has inflamed Lebanon’s sectarian divisions, with Islamist protesters denouncing provisions that would exclude some prisoners from the amnesty.
✍️ @DanielleGreyman.
August 13, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087905802568757352 on X]
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IDF kills Hamas commander who invaded Israel on October 7 in targeted Gaza strike.
Abu Kamil was among the terrorists who invaded Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, and he continued to work toward the goal of harming Israeli soldiers and civilians over the past three years.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-905483 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed Hamas commander Jamal Mahmoud Abu Kamil in a targeted strike in Gaza City on Thursday, according to a statement from the military.
August 13, 2026.
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2087975180446446021 on X]
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Social Media Fails to Curb Rising Antisemitism, With 80% of Reported Posts Still Online, New Study Finds.
Aug 13, 2026
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/13/social-media-fails-curb-rising-antisemitism-80-reported-posts-still-online-new-study-finds/ Algemeiner]
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Huckabee defends Jews of Judea and Samaria: 'Unsettlers' are the problem.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee defended Judea and Samaria communities while condemning Israelis involved in the Qusra incident as a harmful minority.
Israel National News. Aug 13, 2026, 10:00 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431684 INN]
U.S. Ambassador Huckabee Clarifies: Lawbreakers, Not Settlers, Are the Problem in Judea and Samaria.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/u-s-ambassador-huckabee-clarifies-lawbreakers-not-settlers-are-the-problem-in-ju-49411 JFeed]
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Iran Demands Gulf States Accept Its Regional Dominance.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/iran-demands-gulf-states-accept-its-regional-dominance-49399 JFeed]
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Gaza lookouts warn of October 7 echoes as Hamas tests IDF response.
IDF lookouts warn Hamas terrorists are approaching Gaza's yellow line daily and say troops face delays obtaining authorization to open fire.
Israel National News. Aug 13, 2026, 10:55 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431686 INN]
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Report:
Kushner planning Israel visit to advance Trump Gaza plan.
Israel National News.
Aug 13, 2026, 11:42 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431687 INN]
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Hamas Rejects Call to Begin Disarmament Process, Sets New Conditions.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/hamas-rejects-call-to-begin-disarmament-process-sets-new-conditions-49415 JFeed]
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Israel Sends Humanitarian Delegation to Colombia Following Earthquake.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/israel-sends-humanitarian-delegation-to-colombia-following-earthquake-49414 JFeed]
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Two UAE state vessels targeted in Strait of Hormuz.
Israel National News.
Aug 14, 2026, 2:07 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431690 INN]
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US Treasury Secretary:
Iran facing 'unprecedented' economic isolation.
Israel National News.
Aug 14, 2026, 3:15 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431691 INN]
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Emotional tribute
Idan Amedi weeps, dedicating song to Hadar Goldin's parents.
Itzik Brandwein.
Aug 14, 2026, 5:18 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431694 INN]
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Woke NYC mayor humiliated by NYPD after suggesting his 'private' wife should have taxpayer-funded police bodyguards for trip to Syria.
03:14 BST 12 Aug 2026, updated 15:11 BST 12 Aug 2026
By Jack Toledo.
The New York City Police Department has denied the mayor's claims that his wife will be getting a special escort for her upcoming trip to Syria.
Zohran Mamdani had insisted that officers had recommended that his wife, Rama Duwaji, be accompanied by taxpayer-funded bodyguards for the journey.
[https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16044909/zohran-mamdani-nypd-bodyguards-wife-syria.html DailyMail]
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Palestinian Authority rebuilds monuments to terrorists “immediately”
Ephraim D. Tepler and Itamar Marcus|Aug 13, 2026.
The Palestinian Authority makes the glorification of terrorists one of its core values. Besides doing so in speeches, media, and its education system, it invests public resources to ensure that monuments honoring terrorists are put up in the public space so that everyone should know that the PA reveres terrorists. When monuments to terror leaders are damaged or removed, restoring them becomes an immediate priority. The PA sees these monuments as a means of elevating terrorists as Palestinian national heroes and passing their terror legacy to future generations.
When Israeli forces demolished a terror-glorifying monument in Tulkarem honoring Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) founder George Habash, the municipality wasted no time. According to its spokesman, the mayor issued explicit instructions to begin repairing it "immediately"..
[https://palwatch.org/page/42417 PalWarch]
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Qatari State Daily: Muslim US President Coming Soon | MEMRI.
August 13, 2026
[https://www.memri.org/reports/article-qatari-state-daily-al-sharq-day-not-far-when-muslim-will-be-elected-us-president MEMRI]
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‘Reminiscent of what you’d find behind Iron Curtain,’ attorney says of ongoing effort to sue Mamdani admin for records.
“We will keep litigating until we get to the truth,” Randy Mastro told JNS, after oral arguments in New York County Supreme Court. “I’m sure the court will hear us when these procedural issues are behind us.”
Rikki Zagelbaum.
(Aug. 14, 2026 / JNS) The first hearing of a case, over which Gerald Lebovits, a New York County Supreme Court judge, presided on Thursday was about whether New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has illegally withheld records about his revocation, on his first day on the job, of his predecessor’s executive orders protecting Jews.
It also doubled as a legal classroom for and a pitch to law students from New York University and China about how rewarding a legal career can be, in which City Hall’s lawyer, the plaintiff’s attorney and the judge gave their spiels about why they chose their profession.
“The law is a noble profession. You can do so much good in your life in the law,” Randy Mastro, an attorney and former first deputy mayor of New York City, told the students. “Law is a profession. It’s not a job.”..
[https://www.newsweek.com/dsa-assault-on-prisons-is-rooted-in-third-world-ist-lust-for-barbarism-12237869 JNS]
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UAE tanker attacked in Hormuz, US Energy Secretary says 9 million oil barrels pass through daily.
Vance says Iran won’t obtain nuclear weapon • US CENTCOM denies reports of soldiers jumping off USS Lincoln • Jared Kushner plans to visit Israel, Egypt to discuss Gaza.
August 14, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-14/live-updates-905502 JPost]
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Polish Soccer Fans Taunt Hapoel Tel Aviv Fans With Nazi Salute During UEFA Conference League Match.
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/14/polish-soccer-fans-taunt-hapoel-tel-aviv-fans-nazi-salute-uefa-conference-league-match/ Algemeiner]
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Chinese money used to support pro-Palestinian protests.
US officials investigating suspected covert Chinese support for Code Pink and its activities in the UK and links to groups involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Israel National News
Aug 14, 2026, 4:53 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431720 INN]
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Israeli Consul.
'Mamdani is failing to protect New York Jewish community'.
Israel National News.
Aug 14, 2026, 2:18 PM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431715 INN]
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Mein Kampf found at new London Arabic bookstore sparks outrage.
Copies of Hitler’s Mein Kampf in Arabic found at a London bookstore have triggered accusations of antisemitism, while the store’s owners dispute claims that the book was prominently displayed.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 14, 2026, 6:06 PM (GMT+3)
... According to a report by The Telegraph, the book was being sold at Aafaq, a new Arabic bookstore in London located around half a mile from a synagogue. Its presence at the store prompted criticism and allegations of antisemitism.
The British Jewish News also reported on the controversy, saying that three copies of Mein Kampf were found at the bookstore. The store’s owners, however, rejected claims that the book had been prominently displayed or actively promoted.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431723 INN]
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Radicalism runs in the family.
El-Sayed's Half-Sister Faces Renewed Scrutiny For Concerning October 7 Posts | WATCH.
Eman Abdelhadi, Assistant Professor at University of Chicago and maternal half-sister of Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, faces renewed scrutiny over October 7, 2023 social media posts, activism record, and alleged video.
Bianca Jones.
Aug 14, 2026
[...]
Abdelhadi holds a position in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago, where she studies religion, gender, identity, and Muslim American communities. She describes herself as a "queer Muslim activist" and has advocated for a "stateless, communized society" and called for abolishing the police.
The current wave of criticism centers on two overlapping controversies: Abdelhadi's stated positions on the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel, and the circulation of an alleged video that conservative outlets claim shows her celebrating the assault. Her activism includes pro-Palestinian posts, like one on October 7, 2023, with "Morning freedom" and a Palestinian flag, which critics see as celebrating Hamas's attack that killed about 1,200 in Israel, while she describes it as support for resistance.
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/el-sayed-sister-october-7-controversy JFeed]
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Gaza Operation.
Hamas Commander Who Held Hostages Killed.
Mohammed Mushtaha, a company commander in Hamas's military wing who participated in the October 7 massacre and held several Israeli hostages captive, was killed in a July strike in northern Gaza
Gila Isaacson, Srugim
Aug 14, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/hamas-commander-hostages-eliminated JFeed]
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Israel Katz Orders Police to Take Over Law Enforcement in Judea and Samaria.
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/israel-katz-orders-police-to-take-over-law-enforcement-in-judea-and-samaria-49427 JFeed]
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US Ambassador to Lebanon Links End of Israeli Attacks to Hezbollah Disarmament.
The US ambassador to Lebanon stated that Israeli attacks in Lebanon will stop if Hezbollah hands over its weapons. When asked when the Israeli strikes would cease, the ambassador replied: "Tell Hezbollah that if it hands over its weapons, everything will stop."
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/us-ambassador-to-lebanon-links-end-of-israeli-attacks-to-hezbollah-disarmament-49438 JFeed]
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A Jewish teen’s departure reflects Belgium’s ‘silent exodus’.
“Before Oct. 7, I was Raphael. Then I became ‘the Jew,’” a new immigrant to Israel told JNS amid a steady stream of Jews leaving his native country.
Canaan Lidor.
(Aug. 14, 2026 / JNS) BRAINE-L’ALLEUD, Belgium—What could drive a 16-year-old boy from an affluent home in Belgium to leave behind his doting family, a prestigious private high school and the captaincy of his soccer team, in favor of a boarding school in a faraway war zone?
For Raphael, a Jewish teen from the Brussels area, the answer was more than two years of antisemitic threats and intimidation, according to him and his family.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/feature/a-jewish-teens-departure-reflects-belgiums-silent-exodus JNS]
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Uruguay: Screening of Hamas propaganda film at university canceled after outcry.
The film is scheduled to be shown at Cornell in October.
Etgar Lefkovits.
(Aug. 14, 2026 / JNS) The screening of a Mexican documentary film on life in Gaza, produced in collaboration with Hamas, which was scheduled to be held at Uruguay’s largest university, has been canceled, an American Jewish organization said on Wednesday.
The screening of the 2025 film “La Gran Palestina” or “Greater Palestine” at Universidad de la Republica on Wednesday evening was nixed after a public outcry, with opposition leaders asking how a propaganda piece by a terrorist group was scheduled to be shown at a public university.
The film was made “in collaboration with the combatants of the resistance (Hamas),” its accompanying flier states..
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/news/culture-and-society/uruguay-screening-of-hamas-propaganda-film-at-university-canceled-after-outcry JNS]
Turkish FM Fidan threatens Israel after posing next to map erasing Jewish state.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday of threatening the Jewish state, a day after he posed alongside a map depicting Israel as “Palestine” and excluding the Golan Heights.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-ff9b-da8b-a5ff-ffffc7cc0000 JNS]
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IDF dismantles booby-trapped Hezbollah structure in Southern Lebanon.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fee9-d88e-a39f-ffef7a830000 JNS]
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Jayapal encourages student groups to host antisemite Hasan Piker after UW nixes official event.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fc69-d827-af9f-fd795d9e0000 JNS]
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European soccer org to probe Nazi salutes reportedly directed at Israeli soccer fans during elimination match.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-fc6e-dbc4-a7ff-fe7febe80000 JNS]
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Prime Minister of Israel
@IsraeliPM:
A revealing exchange on @CNN: PMO Spokesman @DoronSpielman addresses the violence in Judea and Samaria - and then gets a truly bizarre question about Jews praying together.
Watch his response.
Aug 14, 2026.
[https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2088176459206554019 on X]
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Netanyahu barred the Palestinian Authority from Gaza - what about the West Bank? - analysis.
The lessons of October 7 demand a new approach to the growing security threat posed by the Palestinian Authority.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/article-905157 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Opinion: The Palestinian Authority was excluded from Gaza for a reason, but its security forces in the West Bank raise a separate and potentially serious security question.
✍️ @MauriceHirsch4.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088322497003286727 on X]
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A Netanyahu loss in Israel’s looming election won’t slow the hatred.
Potential successors would be advised to start mentally preparing themselves now to take on the role of “Global-Villain-in-Chief.”
Ben Cohen. August 14, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/opinion/column/ben-cohen/a-netanyahu-loss-in-israels-looming-election-wont-slow-the-hatred JNS]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
US forces have redirected 62, disabled three, and boarded two ships attempting to breach the country’s blockade against Iran in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X/Twitter on Friday.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088377490565738883 on X]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
IDF troops opened fire on a group of Palestinians who threw a Molotov cocktail and stones at soldiers near Beit Fajar, the military said in a statement Friday night.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088377007264391199 on X]
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Trump says US will hit Iran hard economically after Bessent issues warning.
His comments came a day after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US was going to apply measures that have "never been seen" on Tehran as soon as next week.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905560 JPost]
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The lie of apartheid: The 2026 Israel election is a display of the country's diversity - opinion.
Regardless of the final outcome of this election, it looks like this race could finally bury the apartheid myth about Israel.
August 14, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-905394 JPost]
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The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Opinion: Israel’s October election puts the “apartheid” accusation to the test, as Arab voters and parties may play a decisive role in determining who forms the next government.
August 14, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088341860510990588 on X]
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Man disrupts synagogue services in Manhattan, arrested for assault.
New York City police officers fence off and guard the Jewish Orthodox synagogue Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, on May 12, 2026, in the borough of Queens, New York City. Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images.
(Aug. 15, 2026 / JNS) A 46-year-old man was arrested on Friday night for allegedly assaulting a Jewish worshipper and a security member at Central Synagogue, a reform congregation in Manhattan, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.
[https://www.jns.org/news/antisemitism/man-disrupts-synagogue-services-in-manhattan-arrested-for-assault JNS]
Bronx man arrested, charged with hate crimes after disrupting NYC synagogue services.
Larry Montes, 46, was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime for the incident at Manhattan's Central Synagogue.
August 15, 2026.
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905572 JPost]
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The Iran strike Trump halted: ‘We were about to destroy what remained of the regime’.
Senior government official claims Israel was hours away from a massive operation that was stopped at the last minute last week. Also, Netanyahu’s successor, who still does not know he is one.
Amit Segal. Aug. 15, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/analysis/the-iran-strike-trump-halted-we-were-about-to-destroy-what-remained-of-the-regime JNS]
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Rashida Tlaib rally canceled at Florida venue after lawmaker calls event ‘anti-Jew’.
A Florida venue canceled a planned Rashida Tlaib rally after complaints from a Jewish state lawmaker, citing security concerns and its commitment to the Jewish community.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-905573 JPost]
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This week in Jewish history: Moses ascends Mount Sinai, a massacre shakes Hebron.
A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars.
August 15, 2026
Elul 1, 2448 (1312 BCE): Moses ascended Mount Sinai for the third time and remained there for 40 days, during which time he obtained God’s wholehearted forgiveness for the people of Israel. He then came down on the 10th of Tishrei (Yom Kippur) with the second Tablets of the Law (Exodus 33:11). Ever since, the month of Elul serves as the “month of Divine mercy and forgiveness.”
Aug. 15, 2005: The Gaza Disengagement began with 14,000 IDF soldiers and police officers forcibly evicting more than 8,500 Jewish residents who chose to remain in their homes in 25 towns. The government’s hopes that the Disengagement would open “new opportunities” in relations with the Palestinians were bitterly disappointed. The vacated settlements were used to launch terrorist attacks against Israel, including unremitting rocket fire on the nearby Israeli town of Sderot, and eventually led to Oct. 7.
Aug. 18, 1790: In response to a letter from the Jewish community of Rhode Island, president George Washington responded: “The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind… a policy worthy of imitation… For happily the Government of the United States, gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance… May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the goodwill of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid…” Washington’s letter is still housed in the Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI.
Aug. 19, 1845: Birthday of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, head of the French branch of the famed banking family. He was known as the “Father of the Yishuv” due to his financing almost single-handedly the pre-state agricultural villages of Rishon Lezion, Zichron Ya’acov, Gedera, Rosh Pina, and 30 others. He also established Israel’s wine industry when he helped Russian Jews flee pogroms in the 1880s and plant vineyards in Israel.
More famous birthdays, a massacre in Hebron..
Aug. 21, 1973: Birthday of Sergey Brin, American computer scientist, co-founder of Google, and one of the richest men in America.
Aug. 22, 1654: Jacob Barsimson, the first Jew known to settle in North America, arrived in New Amsterdam from Holland.
Aug. 23: Birthdays of Nobel Prize laureates in Economics, Kenneth Arrow (1921), “for his pioneering contributions to general economic equilibrium theory and welfare theory,” and Robert Solow (1924), for his work on the theory of economic growth.
Aug. 24, 1929: In Hebron, 67 Jewish men, women, and children were slaughtered, and scores were wounded, raped, and maimed by their Arab neighbors, who rioted for three days amid cries of “slaughter the Jews.” Jewish homes were pillaged, synagogues were desecrated, a Jewish hospital, which had provided treatment for Arabs, was attacked and ransacked, and the ancient Jewish community of Hebron, which had lived in relative peace for hundreds of years, was not revived until it was recaptured in the 1967 Six Day War.
Aug. 26, 1906: Birthday of Albert Sabin (Abram Saperstejn), developer of the “live” form of the polio vaccine, which does not require refrigeration and can be taken on a sugar cube. This development eliminated the need for needles and sterilization facilities, thereby making worldwide immunization possible. Sabin refused to patent his vaccine or profit from it, so that the low price would guarantee a more extensive spread of the treatment. He also developed vaccines for encephalitis and dengue fever.
Aug. 27, 1945: The 1,310 surviving Jewish refugees fleeing Europe who were forcibly transferred to Mauritius by the British government were allowed into Israel.
Aug. 28, 1903: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plot for global domination, was first published in serialized form in Zmaya, a St. Petersburg daily newspaper. Despite having been exposed as fraudulent, it has been translated into multiple languages and disseminated internationally. Henry Ford funded the printing of 500,000 copies that were distributed throughout the United States in the 1920s. Described as “probably the most influential work of antisemitism ever written,” to this day it remains widely available in numerous languages, in print and on the Internet, and continues to be presented by neo-fascist, fundamentalist groups as genuine.
Elul 18, 5494 (1734): After many years.. living under the guise of an ignorant clay-digger, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism, was instructed by his masters to reveal himself on his 36th birthday and begin to publicly disseminate his teachings, emphasizing the importance of joy and simple faith. Initially, his teachings encountered fierce opposition from the established leadership of the Jewish community, but by the time he passed away at age 62 on Shavuot of 1760, the movement he founded had spread significantly.
Sept. 1, 1967: In response to the Israeli offer to return the Sinai to Egypt and the Golan Heights to Syria after the Six Day War, the Arab League meeting in Khartoum, Sudan, issued its infamous three nos: “No to peace, no to recognition, no to negotiations.”
Sept. 2, 1796: Holland granted equality to its 50,000 Jews.
Sept. 4: Birthdays of Darius Milhaud (1892), French conductor, teacher, and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century, and David Broza (1955), Israeli folk-rock singer and songwriter who has been successful on the international rock circuit.
The Munich Olympics, Israeli history milestones.
Sept. 5, 1972: At the Olympic Village in Munich, eight Arab terrorists from the Black September Organization kidnapped and held Israeli athletes for ransom. During a botched attempt by German police to free them, 11 were murdered.
Elul 24, 5693 (1933): Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, revered author of over 30 works on Jewish ethics and laws, including Chafetz Chaim (“He who desires life”) and Mishna Berurah, founder of the Yeshiva of Radin, Talmudist, and moralist. Earning his living as a teacher and shopkeeper, he consistently refused a rabbinical post.
Sept. 7, 1827: Tsar Nicholas I issued a decree in Russia to draft Jewish boys at the age of 12, place them in schools for military education until age 18, and then obligate them to another 25 years of military service. Most of the 50,000 “cantonists” never returned to the families they had left at age 12.
Sept. 9, 1940: An Italian air raid on Tel Aviv killed 117 and wounded 150.
Sept. 10, 1952: Israel signed an agreement to accept reparation payments from West Germany for losses caused by the Nazis, over the objections of Menachem Begin, who was concerned that they could be perceived as somehow “absolving” Nazis of their heinous crimes.
Sept. 11, 1923: The Daf Yomi, a seven-year cycle of studying a page of Talmud a day, was initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapira of Lublin on Rosh Hashanah. Today, tens of thousands of Jews study the “daily daf” all over the world.
[https://www.jpost.com/history/article-905379 JPost]
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A $50 million hostage ransom funded al-Qaeda terrorism in West Africa, UN says.
A new UN report detailing the use of the ransom did not identify the hostage or say who had made the payment, but three sources identified the country that made the payment as the UAE.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/history/article-905574 JPost]
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The new crescent: Mecca pact gives rise to a Saudi-led Sunni bloc, posing new challenges for Israel.
BEHIND THE LINES: Anti-Israel statements of the emergent alliance between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are not just rhetoric. Rather, they form an integral element in its strategy.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905481 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
Anti-Israel sentiment appears to form an integral element in the strategy behind the recently signed Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.
✍️ @jonathan_spyer.
August 15, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2088522028080902211 on X]
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Tehran says Hormuz 'cannot be seized' after Trump says he will declare strait US territory.
Shipping traffic drops in Strait of Hormuz.
UAE condemns 'aggressive Iranian attack' on tankers.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-15/live-updates-905570 JPost]
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Trump, Hegseth deny concerns of poor conditions, low morale reported aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.
US President Donald Trump that the over-260-day deployment was “not nearly long enough” when asked by reporters if he believed the deployment had gone on too long.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905575 JPost]
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Taliban celebrate ‘victory day’ five years after seizing power in Afghanistan.
Five years after seizing power, the Taliban are projecting control in Afghanistan while rights groups warn of deepening humanitarian crises and sweeping restrictions on women.
August 15, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905577 JPost]
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Iran says missing pilots are alive - in Qatar.
After months of uncertainty, Tehran claims three pilots thought missing since their jets were shot down are alive and being held by Qatari forces.
Orly Harari.
Aug 16, 2026, 12:18 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431746 INN]
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Watch:
Tens of thousands at Western Wall for Selichot service.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 4:44 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431748 INN]
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Israeli universities rank among world’s top 100.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 8:53 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431754 INN]
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'He should worry about his own security'.
Iranian lawmaker mocks Trump over past security logistics while rejecting the US President's statement that Washington will claim the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 6:19 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431750 INN]
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Hezbollah terrorist eliminated
Wave of strikes in Lebanon after soldiers' injuries.
Israel National News.
Aug 16, 2026, 8:15 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431753 INN]
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Israeli i24News Team Attacked in Ireland While Filming Docuseries on Antisemitism.
by Shiryn Ghermezian. August 17, 2026.
A film crew from i24News’ Hebrew channel was assaulted over the weekend in Northern Ireland while filming a documentary series about antisemitism in Europe.
Reporter Yonatan Raveh and cameraman Nadav Abbas were interviewing people on the street in a popular bar area in Belfast when a local man realized they were from Israel and confronted the crew, according to i24News, which also shared a video of the incident on X.
The Irish man confronted the Israeli television crew and tried to grab their expensive camera equipment. When he failed, “he began actively disrupting the recording process and made obscene gestures toward the camera, which led to the filming being stopped,” i24 said. “The Israeli team tried to calm the situation and withdraw from the scene, but the suspect continued to follow them in a threatening manner, at which point the i24NEWS team turned to nearby security personnel and asked for help calling the police.”
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/17/israeli-i24news-team-attacked-ireland-filming-docuseries-antisemitism/ Algemeiner]
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Hamas documents reveal long-term plan to open a northern front against Israel.
Captured Hamas documents reveal more than a decade of efforts to establish a military infrastructure in Lebanon in coordination with Hezbollah and Iran, including plans for rockets, a 2,000-man fighting force and more.
Israel National News.
Published: Aug 16, 2026, 3:40 PM (GMT+3)
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431775 INN]
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After Trump threats.
Iranian Speaker claims war victory
Israel National News.
Aug 17, 2026, 5:08 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431800 INN]
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'Compel Israel to honor Gaza peace plan'.
Following high-level talks in Egypt with US envoy Jared Kushner, Hamas demands the Board of Peace compel Israel to fulfill its commitments under the Gaza plan.
Elad Benari.
Aug 17, 2026, 2:17 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431797 INN]
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'A slap in Israel's face'.
Zvi Yehezkeli slams Kushner’s meeting with Hamas officials.
Israel National News.
Aug 17, 2026, 5:56 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431801 INN]
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Israeli forces nab Palestinian digging tunnel shaft near Jerusalem security barrier.
Israeli security forces arrested a Palestinian suspected of helping to dig a tunnel shaft near the Jerusalem security barrier, the Israel Police said on Monday.
Border Police officers were sent to the Kalandia area, near Ramallah in Samaria, after lookouts spotted several people digging beside the barrier, according to a police statement.
The suspects fled as officers approached, prompting a foot chase during which police fired shots into the air.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0fad-d3e7-afe1-9fed6c8f0000 JNS]
WATCH: Police uncover tunnel near West Bank border fence outside Jerusalem.
Observers from the Border Police patrol unit first noticed the group digging a tunnel near the fence and alerted officers in the field, who then went to the scene.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/crime-in-israel/article-905783 JPost]
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Kurdish PM Barzani says Iranian drones targeted his office, intelligence chief’s home.
Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said Iranian drones targeted his office and the home of the region’s intelligence chief, calling the attacks a “dangerous escalation” and “a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region.”
“These attacks will not deter us from carrying out our duties and protecting our citizens,” Barzani wrote on X, citing an investigation by the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Unit.
The KRG’s security agency earlier said that two drones launched from Iranian territory targeted the prime minister’s office, with no casualties reported.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0f90-d06f-a9b6-5fdf12b50000 JNS]
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Hamas detonates explosive, fires toward troops near Yellow Line in northern Gaza, IDF says.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-1011-dc16-a9e2-51bd14c40000 JNS]
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Israel stations soldiers at entrances to homes in Palestinian village Qusra, residents remain confined.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0ffc-dd9b-a9f5-1fff5d7c0000 JNS]
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Trump says Hamas agreed to disarm, urges Israel to halt Gaza strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed to Fox News on Monday that Washington has a separate channel of communication with Hamas and said the terrorist group had agreed to give up its arms.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#000001a0-0f83-dd78-a7fe-bf970ce30000 JNS]
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Emotional Return.
Ex-Hostage Visits Gush Katif Museum.
Ohana, held captive in Hamas tunnels for two years after being abducted on Simchat Torah, toured the Jerusalem museum preserving the memory of Gaza's former Jewish communities.
Eliana Fleming, Srugim
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/gush-katif-museum JFeed]
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UN helped Iran expand anti-drug crackdown despite execution concerns.
Iranian seizures of meth increased from 30,393 kilograms in 2022 to 40,453 kg. in 2025 with the help of the technology, according to the United Nations.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905786 JPost]
The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post:
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is facing criticism after helping Iran expand its anti-drug enforcement capabilities despite widespread concerns that drug suspects face torture, unfair trials, and execution.
✍️ @DanielleGreyman.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/2089343215665078641 on X]
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Meeting between Kushner and Hamas sparks unease among Palestinian Authority officials.
Several officials were left perplexed following the meeting, with them expressing concern over the US's treatment of Hamas and its approach to the Palestinian issue.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905785 JPost]
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Trump hints at endorsing candidate in Israeli election, despite calling it best to 'stay out'.
Speaking to FOX's Trey Yingst in a phone call, Trump noted that "I think it's most appropriate for me to stay out of the Israeli elections," adding that "I may endorse somebody."
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-905784 JPost]
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Israel, US agree Hamas weapons will go to US-led ISF for destruction, not to Palestinian government.
Under the emerging Gaza framework, officials say Hamas weapons would be destroyed by the US-led ISF, while reconstruction and changes to Israel's military posture would depend on full disarmament.
Aug 17, 2026
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905789 JPost]
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Israel establishes working teams on Gaza disarmament and public health.
The Prime Minister's Office announces two working teams following discussions with the Peace Council. The first team will handle disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, with both Israel and the Peace Council committed to swift completion before reconstruction begins. The second team will address sanitation, clean water, and public health issues affecting Gaza and Israeli residents.
Jfeed Staff. Aug 17, 2026.
[https://www.jfeed.com/latest-news/israel-establishes-working-teams-on-gaza-disarmament-and-public-health-49635 JFeed]
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Mounting Antisemitic Attacks, Institutional Failures Leave Canadian Jews Asking: Stay or Go?
August 17, 2026
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/17/mounting-antisemitic-attacks-institutional-failures-leave-canadian-jews-asking-stay-or-go/ Algemeiner]
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Florida:
Bipartisan leaders condemn candidate’s antisemitic attacks.
Israel National News.
Aug 18, 2026, 5:22 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431856 INN]
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Hamas Built Secret Army in Lebanon.
Intelligence analysis of documents seized in Gaza shows Hamas established an independent military presence in Lebanon with Iranian and Hezbollah backing, intended to open a northern front against Israel as part of a multi-arena strategyread more
Gila Isaacson, Kikar Hashabbat. Aug 17, 2026.
...Though the full plan was never completely realized, Hamas's military wing in Lebanon joined the fighting after October 7, 2023, claiming responsibility for multiple attacks against northern Israel. This active involvement illustrates that the Lebanese presence was part of a broader, carefully planned strategic concept aimed at opening another front against Israel within a multi-arena framework.
The intelligence disclosure adds to a series of revelations about Hamas's plans to expand the conflict. The IDF recently warned soldiers along the Yellow Line about Hamas attempts to reshape the narrative on the ground. Additionally, former U.S. President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with senior Hamas figures in Egypt and pressed for immediate disarmament.
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/hamas-secret-army-lebanon JFeed]
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Claims escalation in Gaza.
Erdogan slams Israel in Trump call.
Elad Benari.
Aug 18, 2026, 2:07 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431852 INN]
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Israel responsible?
Reports of unusual airstrike on airbase deep in Syria.
Yitz Goldberg.
Aug 18, 2026, 8:07 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431861 INN]
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After 44 years:
Remains of last Sultan Yaqub MIA found.
IDF representatives inform the family of Yehuda Katz that his remains have been located, 44 years after he went missing in the Battle of Sultan Yaqub.
Israel National News.
Aug 18, 2026, 8:59 AM
...Katz was the last soldier from the Battle of Sultan Yaqub in 1982 to be classified as missing in action.
The finding of his remains brings a years-long intelligence and military saga to an end. In 2019, the body of Zechariah Baumel was returned to Israel through Russian mediation.
In 2025, a special secret Mossad mission brought the body of Zvi Feldman home.
Katz, Baumel, and Feldman were classified as missing in action after the Battle of Sultan Yaqub, which occurred on June 11th, 1982, at a crossroads south of the village of Sultan Yaqub in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, during the First Lebanon War.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431867 INN]
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ISIS attack plot targeting Be’er Sheva nightclub foiled.
A 20-year-old Negev resident is indicted for allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired attack on a Be’er Sheva nightclub and seeking to join the terror group in Syria.
Israel National News
Aug 18, 2026, 11:40 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431873 INN]
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Kushner: Gaza demilitarization could begin within 30 days.
“And hopefully filling in some of the tunnels as well in the next 60 to 90 days,” the Trump administration envoy said.
Aug 18, 2026.
[https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/kushner-gaza-demilitarization-could-begin-within-30-days JNS]
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<hr>
</small>
[[Category:Middle East]]
[[Category:Iran]]