Friday, November 13, 2026

What You Need to Know:

Israel’s leaders are working to form a government after an election that left no bloc with a majority. On Sunday, President Isaac Herzog gave Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a government, after Eisenkot received 67 recommendations from Knesset (Parliament) members, compared with 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot has 28 days to form a majority coalition, with an option for a 14-day extension, and is calling for a “national emergency government,” saying unusual political moves will be needed. He has invited Netanyahu’s Likud and Religious Zionist parties to join him, and opposition leaders have begun talks with the ultra-Orthodox parties. Unless a unity government is formed, Israel could either face a minority government or even another election. 

Leaders also face a change in US military aid. First, President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that the United States would end its US $3.8 billion in annual military aid by the end of the year. However, Netanyahu’s office clarified on Wednesday that the aid will instead be cut in half and phased out over five years, Ynetnews reported. Trump’s announcement had surprised officials at the Finance Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the IDF. The two governments are negotiating a new agreement by the end of 2026, and the US is expected to raise its funding for joint missile defense above the current US $500 million.

Dig Deeper:

Eisenkot Vows to Form Emergency Gov’t as Herzog Bestows Mandate

US Military Aid to Israel to Be Phased Out over Five Years, Netanyahu’s Office Confirms

What You Need to Know:

Iran: The IDF is preparing two major scenarios involving Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported: a large and aggressive US offensive meant to end the conflict quickly, or an Iranian surprise attack on American interests across the region, including IDF bases that host US personnel and aircraft. The US, led by Vice President JD Vance, is pursuing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore nuclear inspections in exchange for easing its blockade, even as limited US strikes continue. A Western official told the Times of Israel that Iran has about 1,700 ballistic missiles and is producing up to 50 more a month, half its prewar rate. 

Gaza: Israel has authorized the US to deploy an initial multinational force of about 250 foreign troops, security officials told Walla. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Uganda and Albania have said they are willing to take part. Israeli officials strongly oppose Turkish involvement, citing Ankara’s hostility toward Israel and its hosting of Hamas’s headquarters. Defense officials also worry about how quickly the force could enter. One security official warned that the IDF’s Gaza Division could one day find a foreign force larger than itself on the ground. 

Judea/Samaria: In the north of Judea and Samaria, IDF soldiers and Border Police arrested 10 Palestinian Islamic Jihad members near Jenin on Monday for planning an attack on Israeli civilians, the IDF said. Paratroopers and undercover counterterror commandos raided 10 locations at once and captured all 10 suspects in about 30 minutes.

Dig Deeper:

IDF Prepares for Surprise Iranian Attack as US Pursues Diplomatic Deal with Tehran

Iran Said Producing Up to 50 Ballistic Missiles a Month, as IRGC Unveils Underground “Missile City”

US Prepares to Deploy 250 Foreign Troops in Gaza as Israel Opposes Turkish I Involvement

IDF, Border Police Arrest 10 PIJ Terrorists near Jenin who Planned Attack on Israeli Citizens

What You Need to Know:

The IDF is growing its ground forces with two new battalions built around technology. On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir approved adding a new battalion to two of the IDF’s infantry brigades, Golani and Nahal, the Jerusalem Post reported. Designed to find enemy targets and hit them, the units will focus on drones, robotics, surveillance and imaging technology, and advanced and precision-guided weapons. Their final structure has yet to be decided. 

Israel has made major progress against Hezbollah’s first-person-view (FPV) drones since early 2026, though officials are still learning, sources told the Post. The IDF now counters the drones with short-range guns, nets, kamikaze drones of its own and electromagnetic warfare, and it detects them better than before. The Defense Ministry is also working on microwave-style weapons that could disable them. More Iron Beam laser platforms are being built, and by the end of 2026, lasers are expected to play a bigger role in any war, working alongside the Iron Dome missile defense system. 

The coming end of US military aid, which Netanyahu’s office says will be cut in half and phased out over five years, will affect the IDF. The Times of Israel reported that Israel may need to raise taxes or cut other spending to pay for major purchases, and may delay some deals or drop others. Nearly all of the Israeli Air Force’s aircraft are American-made. At the same time, Ynetnews reported that the US is expected to raise its funding for joint missile defense above the current US $500 million.

Dig Deeper:

IDF to Establish New “Detection and Strike” Infantry Battalions within Golani, Nahal Brigades

Trump Aid Bombshell Could Set Off Scramble to Reprioritize Upcoming Arms Buys
US Military Aid to Israel to Be Phased Out over Five Years, Netanyahu’s Office Confirms

Israel to Expand Iron Beam Integration as Laser System Set for Bigger Role in Warfare by Year’s End

What You Need to Know:

The Israel Football Association and the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization have launched “Kicking Forward,” an initiative that uses soccer to support the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers and security personnel, JNS reported. Launched last week at the national team’s training complex in Shefayim, the program brings together nine teams formed with six leading Premier League clubs. 

Ronit Glasman, who initiated the project for the football association, said the idea emerged soon after the October 7 massacre, when it became clear that a younger generation of veterans would need new kinds of rehabilitation. The program focuses on soldiers affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), offering weekly training with professional trainers, equipment and facilities to help them get out of the house and back into a routine. The IDF Disabled Veterans Organization’s Beit Halochem rehabilitation centers will also provide participants with social workers, psychologists and rehabilitation specialists. 

About 250 soldiers are taking part in the one-year pilot program. Organizers planned six teams but opened nine because of demand, and the main obstacle to expanding is finding enough training facilities. The launch included an exhibition match with wounded soldiers and former Israeli national team players. Football association chairman Shino Zuaretz said he is proud of the clubs that joined, adding, “Together, we will keep kicking forward.”

Dig Deeper:

Israeli Soccer Clubs Team Up to Help Wounded Veterans Rebuild their Lives

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Israeli firearms maker Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) and Dutch defense company Artillerie Inrichtingen Armaments (AIA) plan to build a factory in the Netherlands to manufacture and assemble IWI weapon systems, the companies said Monday. AIA said the Dutch government was not involved. The announcement came a day after about 200,000 people rallied in Amsterdam demanding stronger Dutch action against Israel, and as the Netherlands has recently banned products from Judea and Samaria. 

The Maldives is moving to make its ban on Israeli passport holders permanent. President Mohamed Muizzu announced Monday that Israelis “will not be permitted to enter the Maldives under any circumstances.” Earlier proposals would have lifted the ban if Israel stopped what he called a genocide, but the new bill is unconditional. A separate bill would bar Israeli individuals and companies from buying property or investing in property developments. 

UNRWA is considering a major restructuring that could lay off thousands of employees and shift some responsibilities to other bodies, including President Trump’s Board of Peace, the Jerusalem Post reported. The agency’s acting head, Christian Saunders, has cited a severe financial crisis, with a deficit of about US $70 million. The Board of Peace has said UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza.

In the United States, two Christian charities told a court that the UN should not be allowed to intervene in their lawsuit against UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, whom the US government sanctioned for “harassing and intimidating American businesses and organizations with ties to Israel,” JNS reported. 

Dig Deeper:

Israeli Defense Giant IWI, Dutch Defense Company Sign Netherlands-based Arms Production Deal

Maldives Moves to Enact Permanent Ban on Israeli Passport Holders, Blocks Israeli Investment

UNRWA Could Lay Off Thousands as Trump’s Board of Peace Prepares for Post-agency Gaza - Report

Two Christian Charities Say United Nations Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Intervene in Their Lawsuit against Francesca Albanese

What You Need to Know:

On Sunday, the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, about 300 pro-Palestinian protestors, including 200 on bicycles, took part in a “boycott ride” targeting six Jewish-owned restaurants near Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square, NBC10 reported. About 200 pro-Israel counter-protestors gathered nearby, and police kept the groups apart. Police arrested three people, and no property damage was reported. Mayor Cherelle Parker said singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable. Organizers said the ride was anti-Zionist, not antisemitic, but Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO Jim Berk told JNS that holding Jewish businesses responsible for a foreign government’s actions is antisemitism. Meanwhile, long lines formed outside the targeted restaurants as locals showed support. 

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yehiel Leiter said Sunday that the New York Times helped spread a blood libel against Israel. Leiter argued that accusations of genocide are meant to prepare the ground for a future genocide against Jews. He said that the Holocaust was preceded by decades of demonizing Jews and that today’s delegitimization of Israel is an attempt to strip Jews of their standing as Jews. 

In Montreal, Canada, a Jewish-owned kosher bakery was destroyed by a suspected arson attack early on November 4, the second in 48 hours. Co-owner Jennie Volfson said the first fire on Monday night was quickly contained, but the second left “complete destruction” with nothing to rebuild. No one was hurt. Police say there is no evidence yet of an antisemitic motive but assigned hate crimes and arson units to investigate.

Dig Deeper:  

Lawmakers Decry Philadelphia “Boycott Ride” Targeting Jewish Businesses

Tensions Flared in Philly over Boycott of Jewish-owned Restaurants

Leiter: NYT Spread Blood Libel against Jewish State, Fueled False Genocide Accusations

Montreal Kosher Bakery Torched in Second Suspected Arson Attack within 48 Hours

What You Need to Know:

Twenty mayors and municipal leaders from 18 countries on five continents visited Israel this week for the 35th International Mayors Conference, organized by the American Jewish Congress, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the American Council for World Jewry. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told JNS that seeing Israel in person helps visitors learn the truth about it. Samuel Dusengiyumva, mayor of Kigali, Rwanda, a survivor of his country’s 1994 genocide, said nations must join forces against antisemitism. Përparim Rama, mayor of Prishtina, Kosovo, said people should keep talking to one another to build peace. The group visited the Nova festival site, where Mark Schwartz, mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, was asked to recite Kaddish (the mourner’s prayer). 

Meanwhile, hundreds of Ethiopian Jews gathered at the Armon Hanatziv promenade in Jerusalem on Monday to celebrate Sigd, the holiday that renews the covenant between the Jewish people and God and marks the yearning of Ethiopian Jews to return to Jerusalem, observed 50 days after Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The kessim (spiritual leaders) led prayers in Ge’ez, the ancient liturgical language, while non-Ethiopian Israelis came to watch and take part, including a teacher who brought students for a school project and a young couple in which the Ethiopian-born partner taught the other the prayer motions. Researcher Shoshana Ben-Dor said she hopes Sigd, a national holiday since 2008, will become a holiday that all Israelis share.

Dig Deeper:

Coming to Israel Dispels “Nonsense” of “Tucker Carlsons of the World,” Huckabee Tells JNS at World Mayors Event

Ethiopian Jews Celebrate Sigd in Jerusalem, Hope to Share the Holiday with All Israelis