Friday, May 29, 2026

What You Need to Know:

PM Netanyahu: With a motion to dissolve the Knesset likely to hit the floor for its first reading and vote on June 1, opposition leaders have been highly critical of PM Netanyahu’s relationship with US President Trump. Although the prime minister has been updated with regular phone calls on the progress of the US negotiations with Iran, it appears that Israel has had very little say about the substance of the “deal” begin negotiated. They fear that Israel is losing its autonomy, as i24News reported that opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “Israel must preserve its freedom of military action, regardless of American decisions. Israel is a sovereign state, not an American protectorate.” Lapid continued, “calling on Netanyahu to make it clear to Donald Trump that Israel would not be bound by any agreement that jeopardizes its security.”

President Herzog: Israeli President Isaac Herzog took office on July 7, 2021, and will remain for approximately two more years. Herzog’s role as head of state is to represent Israel abroad and foster national unity at home. This week, he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, addressing regional conflicts in the Mideast as well as the rising antisemitism in Canada. President Herzog stressed Israel’s commitment to “talks that lead to a future of peace with Lebanon” and reiterated that Israel “cannot accept the repeated attacks by Hezbollah, Iran’s terror proxy in Lebanon, and will continue to defend itself from this threat.” The Canadian and Israeli governments have a different take on the treatment of activists who sailed on the most recent flotilla, causing relations to be somewhat strained.

Dig Deeper:

I24 News: Netanyahu Admits to Aides He Has Little Sway over Trump  

Opposition Leaders Attack PM Netanyahu’s Handling of Iran

President Herzog Discusses Regional Developments with Canadian PM Carney

What You Need to Know:

Iran:  While US President Trump continues negotiations with Iran during the extended ceasefire, the US military conducted several strikes this week “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Zamir proclaimed that the Iranian regime’s future is “shrouded in uncertainty … the evil structure of the ayatollah regime has been significantly cracked.” Israel remains on high alert and ready for the possibility that hostilities will resume.

Hezbollah/Lebanon: Hezbollah’s FPV (First-Person View) explosive drones claimed another IDF casualty on May 27, bringing to 12 the number of fallen soldiers in Lebanon since the ceasefire began on April 16. These tiny but deadly drones operate via a fiber-optic line, which makes them difficult to intercept. At Monday’s Security Cabinet meeting, the prime minister said, “We are leading a massive national effort to advance creative and innovative solutions against explosive drones.” PM Netanyahu also said, “We are deepening our operation in Lebanon. We are fortifying the security zone to protect the communities of the north.”

Hamas/Gaza: Less than two weeks after he had been named the Hamas military chief, Mohammed Ouda was killed in an IDF strike in Gaza City. Despite the precise targeting of the leaders who planned and carried out the attack against Israel on October 7, Hamas continues to refuse to disarm. The IDF maintains control over 53% of the Gaza Strip, but its air superiority gives Hamas operatives little place to hide.

Dig Deeper:

Prime Minister’s Remarks at Opening of Security Cabinet Meeting  

Zamir: Iranian Regime’s Future Shrouded in Uncertainty  

Israeli Soldier KIA on the Northern Border  

New Hamas Military Wing Commander Killed Shortly after Predecessor  

What You Need to Know:

Casualties: The Lebanon front remains Israel’s deadliest at the moment. Sgt. Nehoray Leizer, a 19-year-old combat engineer from Eilat, was killed last Friday when an explosive drone hit the armored personnel carrier he was driving. Israel has paid a high price, with 24 deaths since the ground offensive against Hezbollah began on March 2, and a total of 949 killed on all fronts since October 7, 2023.

Wounded Warriors: Belev Echad, Hebrew for “With One Heart,” is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is the restoration of wounded IDF soldiers. They support soldiers with physical and emotional recovery while offering financial and/or legal help when needed. The group’s founders established a special project to provide “a dedicated support network for female soldiers coping with trauma.” A recent trip to New York offered the women “a respite from hospitals, sirens and rehabilitation in Israel.” Perhaps, more importantly, they had the opportunity to “describe what they endured and the long process of healing from the invisible wounds of war.”

Frontline Support:  There are currently about 3,500 lone soldiers from overseas serving in the IDF. They face a variety of challenges during their enlistment, not the least of which is learning a new language and adapting to a different culture. OU Israel (Orthodox Union) has begun a program to help English-speaking soldiers during their military service. Specifically, Frontline Support “aims to help soldiers … find meaning and community while addressing challenges related to religious identity during their service.”

Dig Deeper:

Soldier Killed in South Lebanon by Hezbollah Drone, another Seriously Wounded   

Wounded IDF Female Soldiers Share Stories of Trauma, Survival and Recovery   

Frontline Support; Program Offers Spiritual Lifeline to Anglo Troops   

What You Need to Know:

Israelis living on the periphery are essentially the first line of defense. Members of those communities understand that they are on the frontlines and that their very presence is a deterrence to the enemy’s plans for their annihilation. Conflict has been a fact of life for communities along Israel’s northern border for decades. Many residents were evacuated after October 7, 2023, but returned when their homes were deemed safe. Now they are living under what many here call a “fake ceasefire” as residents have been subjected to essentially nonstop missiles and intensifying explosive drone attacks since the current ceasefire began April 16.

A northern resident, 36-year-old Eldad Vaknin, described life under fire: “We are going through a very difficult period, a period unlike anything I have ever experienced.” Vaknin, who is a farmer and tourism operator, grew up in the north and has experienced conflict his entire life. With two children, he now looks at the situation differently, saying that “as a child, I never experienced anything like what my children are experiencing now.”

Vaknin credits the IDF for doing a good job of protecting the residents, but he—as many fellow residents agree—says the army is operating with its hands tied. Due to US pressure, the government is limiting IDF operations and preventing total victory against Hezbollah. Vaknin added: “You do not make peace or agreements with Hezbollah, because they want one thing, to kill us. I hope we learned from October 7 that an enemy who wants to kill you, you must rise early and kill him first.”

Dig Deeper:

Life under Fire on Israel’s Northern Border

WATCH: Children in Northern Israel Shelter during Sirens  

I Am Not the Mother I Dreamed of Being Before the War & Maybe I Never Will Be 

What You Need to Know:

Biased World Court: Established in 2002, the mission of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is to prosecute “genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression” only when national systems are unable or unwilling to act. In November 2024, the ICC charged PM Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity. This despite the fact that Israel has a court system and has gone on record as investigating all such accusations made against its citizens, be they IDF soldiers or residents of Judea and Samaria. Surprisingly, the ICC has been ignoring a filing submitted last December on behalf of a Palestinian from Gaza. This petition calls for the investigation of 14 Hamas leaders, accusing them of war crimes committed against the Palestinian people. In this case, there is no “national system”—only Hamas itself which controls everything in the Gaza Strip. There is no “justice” for Israel—or the Palestinian people—from this global institution.

Erroneous Press Reports: Global opinion against Israel is often formed when reading the headlines of trusted news sources, and the New York Times boasts a name that is trusted by many. Readers were outraged when the paper carried a report accusing Israel of “systemic sexual violence against Palestinian security prisoners” and worse. Now the credibility of one of the author’s key sources is in question. Sadly, it may be too late for readers who have already determined that Israel is capable of such heinous acts.

Dig Deeper:

ICC Ignores Filing Submitted against Hamas   

Credibility Crisis – Source for NYT Story Caught Removing Terrorists from List of Gaza Journalists

An Unholy Alliance: UNRWA, Hamas and Der Spiegel  

What You Need to Know:

Australia:  Australia’s Royal Commission, which is tasked with examining the events that led to the Bondi Beach massacre in December 2025, spent the last month taking testimony focused on the “nature and prevalence of antisemitism” in the nation. Mike Burgess, head of Australia’s intelligence, told the commissioners, “Antisemitism in Australia was left unchecked after October 2023 … fueling violence against the Jewish people.”

United Kingdom: Jeremy Jacobs and his wife have made a difficult choice and are now preparing to leave their children and grandchildren in the UK in order to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel. Why? For the simple reason that Jeremy, a former Jewish leader in his community, has “lost faith in British society. I no longer believe people would protect us [in the event of a violent antisemitic attack]. Certainly not the majority.” Jacobs attributes the rise in antisemitism to the financial difficulties Britain currently finds itself in: “The establishment looks for somebody to blame. The Jews will always be blamed because of the antisemitic trope that we control the money.”

United States: Jewish cardiologist Dr. Jacob Agronin recently testified before a federal subcommittee, providing evidence that his union, the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), “publicly supports terror sympathizers and formally endorses the exclusion of Israeli colleagues based on national origin.” CIR, the largest union representing hospital staff, has accused Israel of apartheid and genocide. Dr. Agronin added that the “fanatical obsession with Israel is not confined to CIR … it’s a rising sentiment in every institution of America.”

Dig Deeper:

Antisemitism Left Unchecked after Gaza War, Fueling Violence against Jews  

Former UK Jewish Leader Makes Aliyah Due to Rise in Antisemitism  

Antisemitism is Ubiquitous in US Health Care, Medical Unions     

What You Need to Know:

Jerusalem Unity Prize: The Jerusalem Unity Prize recognizes individuals and organizations who are “dedicated to bridging divides within Israeli society and strengthening connections with world Jewry.” The prize was established 12 years ago, after a time of national prayer and unity during a search for three kidnapped teenagers who were murdered by Hamas. During the awards ceremony, President Isaac Herzog stressed “the importance of preserving human dignity, mutual responsibility and social cohesion during one of the most challenging period’s in Israel’s history.” The awards span local, national and international levels. Rabbi Yonatan Reiss received a certificate for his work “advancing the integration of ultra-Orthodox young men into meaningful national service and Israeli society.” Sheik Muwafaq Tarif of the Druze community was also recognized as a longstanding advocate of “shared life among Israel’s diverse populations.”

The Power of Memory: Some memories are painful but powerful, and the British internment camps on Cyprus are a case in point. Operating between August 1946 and January 1949, the camps held roughly 53,500 Holocaust survivors trying to immigrate to Mandatory Palestine. Once they finally arrived in their ancient homeland, many did not speak of their experiences in the camps, but their descendants can now access a Facebook group to fill in the gaps. Researcher Ayelet Klein-Cohen says the online group “functions as a collaborative space where descendants share testimonies, search for relatives and piece together fragments of stories.” She said the group is unique because it lacks a formal institution, yet people “still gather around it and share stories and memories.”

Dig Deeper:

Jerusalem Unity Prize Honors Israelis Building Bridges after October 7  

FB Group Becomes Living Archive for Cyprus Camp Survivors’ Descendants