Friday, May 15, 2026

What You Need to Know:

PM Netanyahu: One issue facing the prime minister is the potential fracturing of his coalition. The Knesset’s (Parliament’s) summer session, which began May 10, has gotten off to a stormy beginning with Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties threatening to dissolve the coalition. At the center of the conflict is the draft bill, which many Knesset members believe favors Haredi youth at the expense of the majority of Israelis who do not receive an exemption in order to study Torah (Gen.–Deut.). The bill remains with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

The prime minister also continues to field questions about the US-led negotiations with Iran and the sometimes-conflicting statements made by President Trump. During an interview on 60 Minutes this week, the prime minister adamantly insisted that the war with Iran “accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over.” PM Netanyahu also spoke about the declining support for Israel among young Americans, stating that it “correlates almost 100% with the geometric rise of social media.”

IDF Chief of Staff: Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the pending draft legislation. He told the committee that without reforms, Israel’s reserve army is in danger of “collapsing in on itself.” The length of the current war has created a workload for the reservists that Zamir believes is unbearable for men who have been mobilized for months on end.

Dig Deeper:

Haredi Leader Gives Green Light to Disband Coalition over Draft Law 

PM Netanyahu: the War Is Not Over 

Israel Sees Significant Differences Persisting in US-Iran Talks  

Chief of Staff Issues Warning over Situation with Reserve Forces  

What You Need to Know:

Iran: While the US-led negotiations focus on Iran’s nuclear capability and the Strait of Hormuz, Israel’s immediate security remains her highest priority. A recent analysis indicates that ballistic missiles could be a larger threat than achieving a nuclear weapon. Both Israel and the US were surprised at how quickly Iran uncovered their bombed-out missile sites. After the 12-day war in June 2025, Iran was able to replace about half of its lost missiles and launchers in eight months, reaching 2,500 missiles. Left unchecked, it is possible Iran could more than double that number of missiles in another year. 

Hezbollah/Lebanon:  This has been the most active front in the last week, with the IDF fully engaged with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The IDF has begun to introduce a means of defense against Hezbollah’s FPV (first-person view) explosive drones, which use a fiber-optic cable as a means of control rather than radio wave signals. One component of the system is “a rotating barb-wired mechanism designed to sever the drone’s cable.” This week, a 47-year-old reservist was killed and three other soldiers wounded in several drone attacks. Five Israeli soldiers have died in southern Lebanon since the temporary ceasefire took effect at midnight on April 16, 2026.

Gaza: Acting on intelligence provided by the Shin Bet (Israeli internal security organization), the IDF destroyed a weapons production site that had been used by both the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas to harm troops operating near the Yellow Line that divides the Gaza Strip. Senior Hamas leaders continue to refuse to disarm, a key part of the Trump Peace Plan.

Dig Deeper:

Analysis: Why Iran’s Ballistic Missiles Pose a Greater Threat than the Nuclear Issue   

IDF Reservist Killed in Explosive Drone Attack in Northern Israel  

IDF Attacks Islamic Jihad Arms Production Factory in Gaza   

What You Need to Know:

Many recent new olim (immigrants) have come with the specific intent of serving in the IDF. A recent conference drew more than 400 young adults who came to gain the tools needed to serve as lone soldiers, who often feel isolated as they adapt to a new language, culture and country. Participants told Ynetnews that they saw military service as “both a duty and a way to deepen their connection to Israel.”

Israelis take seriously the command to “Remember” in many different areas of life. Recently a digital hub emerged named “Gal-Hed,” which aims to honor the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives in defense of the State of Israel. The English-language site contains personal stories, pictures and videos of IDF soldiers and security forces who fell in the war that began on October 7, 2023.  

Sgt. First Class (res.) “A” is a combat medic, and his wife, Master Sgt. (res.) “M” serves in logistics. Together they have seen five reserve rotations in the two-and-a-half years of war, with their most recent activity taking them into southern Lebanon with their artillery battalion. On a recent mission, “M” was wounded by shrapnel from an explosive drone. While “A” treated his wife for extensive bleeding, the wound was not life threatening, and she fully intends to return to duty after her recovery. “It’s part of our lives,” she said.

Dig Deeper:

Jerusalem Expo Helps Prepare New Immigrants for IDF Service  

Remembering IDF Soldiers Who Fell during the “Iron Swords” War   

From Reserve Duty Romance to Lebanon Front  

What You Need to Know:

Systematic Violence on Oct. 7: Information contained in the 250-page report by Israel’s Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children is difficult to comprehend. More than 10,000 documented items went into the report, which shows how the Hamas terrorists committed systematic abuse and humiliation of their victims. The attorney for the Commission said, “We understood that our mission was to build an archive of war crimes.” The evidence has been digitally archived so that it cannot be erased or forgotten. For the many Israelis who live with firsthand memories of the trauma, it will take a lifetime to heal.

Healing through Helping: Taking the focus off of their own challenges, a group of girls from the Eden boarding school in the Gaza Border community of Kibbutz Karmia participated in the Good Thought Ecotech program to develop “technology-driven social initiatives.” “Friends around Every Corner” is designed to “fight loneliness by connecting people through shared activities.” One girl developed a sensor to prevent children from being forgotten in cars while another focused on remembering neglected memorials and burial sites. Students worked with professional mentors who helped them gain “a sense of leadership and influence.”

Wake-up Call: A recent study conducted by Dr. Nimrod Nir of the Agam Institute and Asa Shapira of Tel Aviv University’s School of Communication revealed an increasing polarization in Israel. The data from 2026 indicates deep societal divides which the authors call “an emergency report” that should be an important warning for the State of Israel.

Dig Deeper:

Report Documents Systematic Sexual Violence on October 7    

Gaza Border Students Turn Life Challenges into Tech-driven Social Ventures   

What You Need to Know:

Israel faces many battles, and perhaps the most difficult one involves the false accusations and biased narratives that are so prevalent on social media, shouted from pro-Palestinian demonstrations and, sadly, even heard at international bodies like the United Nations or the European Union. Cries of “settler violence” against the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria have been getting a lot of attention lately. While there have been a few instances where Jews have taken violent action against their neighbors, the IDF is quick to intervene, and the offenders face legal consequences for their actions.

The Oslo Accords envisioned the establishment of a Palestinian state in the area known by the world as the “West Bank,” a purely political term. Biblically it is the nation’s heartland, the place where Abraham received the covenant from God and where the patriarchs tended their sheep. Under the two-state solution, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority would have shared the area. Today’s social media posts and UN reports reflect a “long-running, well-funded and coordinated campaign aimed at delegitimizing” the Jewish presence in their covenanted land.

Regavim, an Israeli NGO, studied 6,000 reports of settler violence included in a report issued by the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Their study showed that 98% of those incidents “either did not involve violence, did not involve settlers, or did not take place in Judea and Samaria.” As a result of these false accusations, the EU is considering economic sanctions against the State of Israel. “Inside the Battle over Settler Violence” is worth reading.

Dig Deeper:

Inside the Battle over the Settler Violence Narrative

EU Foreign Policy Chief Close to Deal on Sanctions for Violent Settlers   

What You Need to Know:

At 80 years of age, the Bristol Jewish community President Tony Gordon has seen a lot. Ynetnews recently quoted Gordon as saying, “There is a recognizable relationship between what is happening now [in the UK] and what was happening in Germany in the early ‘30s.” The last few months, the Jewish community in Britain has experienced an increase of antisemitic attacks in various forms, causing some to consider leaving the country.

A crowd of approximately 20,000 people attended a demonstration to protest Britain’s growing problem with antisemitism. Many in the crowd expressed their frustration with the government’s pledges that have not been followed up with actions. One participant said: “We’ve heard all the words for so long from the politicians and it’s counted for nothing. The scourge of antisemitism is getting worse … we need action, not words.”

Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, recently called on the Canadian government to “step up its efforts to protect the nation’s Jewish community.” Moed said that each day, about 20 antisemitic attacks occur in Canada. “Words are not enough. Action must be taken, and strong action.”

A joint declaration against antisemitism was issued in Geneva by representatives of more than two dozen countries, citing increased targeting of synagogues, Jewish schools and community centers meant to intimidate and threaten. It warned against the online hate that has added exponentially to the problem and called for “governments, social media platforms, AI companies and civil society organizations to work together to curb antisemitic content in digital spaces.’

Dig Deeper:

Britain Today Echoes Germany in the 1930s 

Israeli Envoy Urges Canada’s Leadership to Combat Jew-Hatred

Thousands Protest Antisemitism in London amid Attacks on Jews   

Urgent Geneva Call Issued for Protection of Jewish Communities

What You Need to Know:

Diplomatic relations with Latin America have been warming up, as evidenced by the positive responses received by President Herzog during his recent trip to Central America. While he was in Costa Rica, its newly elected president, Laura Fernández Delgado, told Herzog she wants to move the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv back to Jerusalem. Costa Rica would join the seven embassies currently in Jerusalem: the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Jerusalem Day is one of the most joyous holidays, as the city celebrates its reunification under Jewish sovereignty. For the second year, local middle school students competed in the Jerusalem Quiz, testing their knowledge of Jerusalem’s history, landmarks, music and culture. Contestants studied for months as they were quizzed on Jerusalem’s 4,000-year history, including audio and visual segments that covered biblical references and historical landmarks as well as music and sports.  

The 18X Elite Impact program seeks to “channel wartime leadership and resilience into the country’s high-tech sector.” Founders see a correlation between “the same focus and mission-oriented mindset that epitomizes an elite soldier” and the qualities needed for successful entrepreneurs. 18X recently marked its first anniversary by presenting 150 startups at a summit in Tel Aviv.

WhatsApp founder Jan Koum recently gave US $200 million to Jerusalem’s Sha’are Zedek Medical Center. The donation, the largest ever received by an Israeli medical institution, will be used to help build a new inpatient tower.

Dig Deeper:

Costa Rica’s New President Wants to Open Embassy in Jerusalem   

Students Compete in Jerusalem Quiz ahead of Jerusalem Day   

IDF Reservists Launch 150 Startups through Elite Israeli Incubator  

Whatsapp Founder to Donate $200 Million to Jerusalem Medical Center