Friday, June 19, 2026

What You Need to Know:

PM Netanyahu: The news this week has been full of speculation about the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) President Trump signed with Iran. We won’t go into detail here except to say that Israel’s leaders were not included in negotiations on a situation that directly affects the country’s security. Iran lobbied hard to have the ceasefire include Hezbollah, and the freedom to respond to missile and drone attacks is an immovable red line for Israel. Iran’s proxies in the region are an immediate threat to communities and residents on Israel’s periphery. This week, President Trump strongly and publicly criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu for Israel’s defensive operations against Hezbollah and even managed to stall the IDF’s strikes on Beirut, where the terror group’s headquarters are located. But in this contest of wills, PM Netanyahu cannot afford to back down and stop responding to Hezbollah’s attacks, even if it means severing the relationship with Israel’s closest ally.

Election Year: Nothing has happened with regard to the bill to dissolve the Knesset (Parliament) since it passed the first reading on June 2. It appears that elections may take place on October 27, as scheduled. Political campaigns have begun in earnest. Naftali Bennett, prime minister from June 13, 2021, until June 30, 2022, is a definite front-runner. However, recent surveys show Gadi Eisenkott, former IDF chief of staff and head of the Yashar party, gaining strength. Benny Gantz, another former IDF chief of staff, is calling for a government “comprised of Zionist parties from across the political aisle.” Israel’s upcoming elections are definitely a matter for prayer.

Dig Deeper:

PM Netanyahu: Iran Will Not Have Nukes, with or without an Agreement  

Trump Signs Iran Deal in Versailles

Israel’s Next Gov’t Should Be Composed of Zionists from across the Aisle 

What You Need to Know:

Iran remains Israel’s biggest security threat through Hezbollah and Hamas, its regional terror proxies, as well as the potential of obtaining nuclear weapons. During the next 60 days, the general terms of the Memorandum of Understanding will be reduced to specific agreements. It remains to be seen if Tehran is serious about the negotiations.

Hezbollah/Lebanon: Attacks from Lebanon continue daily, leaving many in Israel to call the US-brokered agreement of April 16, 2026, a “fake ceasefire.”

Judea/Samaria: Nablus, or biblical Shechem, has been a hotbed of terror activity for years. This past week, IDF reservists and combat engineering units disabled 18 “lathes used for manufacturing weapons, including firearms and explosive devices.” Another operation carried out by the IDF in cooperation with border and district police from Judea and Samaria thwarted a weapons smuggling attempt. Multiple arms were confiscated, and the suspect from Bethlehem was taken for further investigation. Israel’s biblical heartland has seen its Jewish residents targeted by Palestinian terrorists at least 5,051 times in 2025, according to Rescuers Without Borders.

Gaza/Hamas, which continues to refuse to lay down its weapons and is doing the very opposite: “quietly exploiting the pause in fighting to tighten its control over civilian life while simultaneously rebuilding its military capabilities behind the scenes.” Hamas is also “rebuilding coastal surveillance networks and seeking to enhance its ability to monitor Israeli naval activity in the eastern Mediterranean.” As a result, the Israeli navy has spent “nearly 1,000 consecutive days patrolling Gaza’s coastline,” and ground forces remain in the Israeli-controlled part of the Strip.

Dig Deeper:

Israeli Security Officials Frustrated over Iran Deal  

Hezbollah Launches Rocket Barrages at IDF in Latest Truce Violation   

Israeli Forces Destroy Weapons Making Lathes in Samaria    

What You Need to Know:

Daily, the men and women of the IDF put their lives on the line to defend their fellow citizens. Some soldiers are called to lay down their lives, and countless others are wounded. This week saw both. Master Sgt. Alexander Filin, a 29-year-old reserve combat soldier, died when an explosive device detonated in an area where his unit was operating. Filin exemplified the role of the IDF when he said: “We are not just standing at the border. We are guarding the citizens and the country.” He immigrated to Israel as a 15-year-old student from Ukraine and later enlisted in the IDF. He was a decorated soldier, having received the President’s Citation for Outstanding Soldiers in 2018. In another incident this week in southern Lebanon, five soldiers were injured by two FPV (first-person view) explosive drones.

Many IDF reservists are college and university students, and a large number study at the Afeka College of Engineering. Afeka has seen as much as 42% of its student body called up while also trying to complete their academic work. The suicide of a student prompted an examination to see what could be done to help. As a result, Afeka has just opened its “Quiet Tent”—a space designed “to support students coping with trauma, war-related stress and the emotional strain of life.” College President Yossi Rosenwaks stated, “Over the past year, we have seen firsthand the emotional burden many students are carrying.” The tent is a space where students “can process difficult experiences in a safe and supportive setting.”

Dig Deeper:

Decorated Lone Soldier Once Saved a Friend’s Life, then Fell in Lebanon   

5 Soldiers Wounded, One Seriously, by Explosive Drones in Southern Lebanon  

The Quiet Space Helping Student Reservists Heal after War  

What You Need to Know:

Life after Hamas Captivity: On October 13, 2025, Elkana Bohbot was reunited with his wife and young son after spending 738 days in Hamas captivity. Bohbot’s nightmare is not over, as he says, “I understand that I came out of the tunnels, but the tunnels did not come out of me.” However, the couple recently announced that they are rebuilding their lives and are expecting a second child, a sister for Re’em.

Remembering the Victims: One question residents and officials are wrestling with is: What is the best way to remember those who lost their lives on October 7, 2023? Currently the regional council is considering a plan to relocate the small concrete roadside shelters where many Israelis were killed in the Hamas massacre. These shelters are “among the most visible traces of the attack,” and family members want them to stay where they are. The Eshkol Council’s position is that they should be in “an organized, enclosed and protected memorial site,” but any final decision will be “carried out with great sensitivity and in cooperation with the families…”

“Regular” everyday people are Israel’s strength. In the article, “The One Thing about Israel That Still Surprises Me,” Noah Sanders points to what happened after the latest Iranian attack. Though millions ran to shelters when sirens blared, those same Israelis went back to work, to school, to their routines when the situation ended. Sanders, who made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) many years ago, puts it this way: Israel is “a society that has quietly decided that no matter what happens, life will press forward.”

Dig Deeper:

Released Hostage Elkana Bohbot and His Wife Rebuild Their Lives  

Families Fight Plans to Move ‘Shelters of Death’ from Gaza Border Roads  

The One Thing about Israel that Still Surprises Me  

What You Need to Know:

The EU foreign policy chief, Kaya Kallas, made remarks last month that, although they were made last month in Mexico City in “closed-door high-level talks,” she must be held accountable. When she compared Israel’s “treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, Judea and Samaria to the racist policies of apartheid South Africa,” she crossed a line. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), stated emphatically: “It is an absolute falsehood: There is absolutely nothing that even resembles apartheid in Israel.’’

At the last minute, 14 of the 30 Israeli companies registered at the biennial Eurosatory weapons exhibition had their booths inexplicably blocked. This was despite the fact that the Israeli companies had “agreed to abide by a discriminatory policy that allowed them to only showcase defensive solutions at the largest international exhibition for defense and security industry.” Israeli booths underwent two separate inspections and had made the changes requested, yet at 9:45 p.m.—the night before the exhibition’s scheduled opening—14 companies received emails telling them that their booths were being boarded up. Representatives of the banned booths indicated they would keep their meeting schedules and maintain a presence at the show.

The lower house of the Irish parliament advanced legislation that would make it a criminal offense to import goods produced by Israeli businesses in Judea and Samaria. The US State Department has warned the Irish government that there may be economic consequences, as American businesses, which employ roughly 245,000 people in Ireland, would run afoul of US anti-boycott laws and be forced to close their Irish branches if the bill passes.

Dig Deeper:

EU Foreign Policy Chief Likened Israel’s Treatment of Palestinians to Apartheid  

Israeli Defense Booths Boarded up at Eurosatory Weapons Exhibition

US State Department Warns Against Irish Bill Targeting Judea and Samaria   

What You Need to Know:

In a step backwards, University College London (UCL) recently dismissed Anthony Orkin, its Antisemitism Programme Manager. His role was established in November 2022, and during the year that followed October 7, 2023, Orkin helped respond to an 841% increase in antisemitism at UCL. Dov Forman, a student at UCL, told the Jerusalem Post: “Anthony is one of the few things they were genuinely getting right. I have no doubt Jewish students will be worse off at UCL and will feel his departure immediately.”

Canada’s Jewish population is tiny—about 1% of the whole—yet 70% of 2024’s religiously motivated hate crimes targeted Jews. And in spite of his recent recognition that “Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Prime Minister Mark Carney has made some questionable appointments to the federal antisemitism panel. Take Omar Alghabra. A glimpse into Alghabra’s past reveals some disturbing quotes. For instance, he said that “he did not believe Hamas sought Israel’s destruction and expressed reservations about designating the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade as a terrorist organization.” Jewish leaders are worried that public trust could be undermined if the panel includes representatives who have been hostile to Israel in the past.

The Jewish community in the Netherlands has been experiencing an “unprecedented wave of antisemitic attacks and attempted attacks”—primarily against buildings such as synagogues and Jewish schools. Most recently, authorities arrested a 20-year-old who is “accused of involvement in a plan to plant explosives or set fire to a synagogue.” The Dutch budget for protecting Jewish buildings has been increased to two million euros (US $2.3 million) annually.

Dig Deeper:

UCL Cuts Dedicated Antisemitism Role despite Surge in anti-Jewish Incidents 

Canada Antisemitism Czar Doesn’t Believe Hamas Seeks Israel’s Destruction  

Dutch Police Arrest Suspect in Plot to Attack Synagogue  

What You Need to Know:

Passages, an organization dedicated to bringing Christian students to Israel, recently introduced more than 150 high school and college students to the Land. The timing of the trip is especially important, as anti-Israel narratives are increasingly influencing the younger generation of Americans. When students are faced with competing narratives and unsure what is true, “when students are being bombarded by competing narratives online, there is simply no substitute for seeing Israel with your own eyes,” said Zach Bauer, CEO of Passages. Bauer added: “Many young Americans are being asked to form strong opinions about Israel without ever visited the region. Our goal is not to tell students what to think. It is to give them the opportunity to learn, engage, ask questions and encounter the reality for themselves.”

India has proven itself a staunch friend of Israel when much of the world has turned away. After October 7, they did not impose embargoes or restrictions on trade but consistently supported Israel. Reuven Azar, Israeli ambassador to India, recently told JNS: “They are much more optimistic, nationalistic and pro-Israel, and that is amazing because … it will allow us to deepen this partnership.”

Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, proved himself to be a true friend when he directly contradicted President Trump’s claim that, “Without me, there would be no Israel.” Speaking to the International Conference on Israeli Heritage, the ambassador responded, “Without Israel, without the Jewish foundation, there would not be America. We owe our very existence to what happened in this land.”

Dig Deeper:

Amid anti-Israel Activism, 150+ Christian Students Tour Jewish State  

India Fast Becoming One of Israel’s Greatest Strategic Partners  

Ambassador Huckabee Says US would not Exist without Israel