Friday, October 16, 2026

What You Need to Know:

Israelis are going to the polls in less than two weeks on October 27, to choose a new Knesset (Parliament). For more information on the Israeli election process, see the “How Do Israeli Elections Work?” article in the Dig Deeper section below. Polls show neither major bloc clearly reaching the 61 seats needed for a majority, and with 38 parties running, the Times of Israel reports that a few small ones hovering near the 3.25% threshold for entering the Knesset could tip the balance. Analysts say the key question is less about voters switching sides than about each bloc getting its supporters to turn out. 

Meanwhile, amid a war of narratives and increased international condemnation of Jewish communities in the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, local leaders are working to tell Israel’s story more accurately. The Yesha Council, which represents Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, launched a Judea and Samaria Situation Room this week. The hub shares real-time updates and footage in Hebrew and English via WhatsApp, Telegram and X, drawing on sources on the ground. It aims to give the public and media reliable information and to answer misinformation about the communities. Council chairman Yisrael Ganz said it will answer an “industry of lies and fake news” with facts and evidence, calling it “the eyes of Judea and Samaria.”

Dig Deeper:

How Do Israeli Elections Work? A Guide to Voting, Knesset Seats, and Coalitions – Explainer

Small Parties Hovering around Minimum Vote Threshold Could Determine Israel’s Election

“The Eyes of Judea and Samaria”: Yesha Council Launches Situation Room

What You Need to Know:

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said this week that alerts are rising on all fronts and the potential for escalation has grown. He is sending the 98th division to Judea and Samaria to strengthen security there. On Tuesday, the IDF and Shin Bet (internal security organization) raided two charities in Ramallah and Yatta that the military says served as fronts for Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), arresting five terrorist collaborators. 

In the north, the Lebanese outlet Al-Modon reported, citing unnamed sources, that Hezbollah has used the ceasefire to rebuild in southern Lebanon and upgrade explosive drones to carry heavier loads over longer distances. The report followed Lebanese seizure of a truck carrying hundreds of kilograms of Hezbollah explosives. 

Hezbollah’s weapons also reached Israeli children. On Monday, a student on a school hike near the Lebanese border picked up what appeared to be an unexploded Hezbollah cluster submunition. It exploded, killing 13-year-old Elazar Yair Wilensky and wounding 24 students and teachers. Israeli security authorities estimate that hundreds or even thousands of unexploded munitions may lie scattered across the country.

Farther away, the Wall Street Journal reported that Yemen’s Houthis are trying to build a longer-range ballistic missile using Chinese parts, according to a British arms-tracking group. Its projected range of about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 mi.) could reach Israel.

Dig Deeper:

Hezbollah Rebuilds Military Capabilities, Upgrades FPV Drones ahead of Possible Israel War – Report

IDF Raids West Bank Charities Linked to Hamas, PFLP, Arresting Five, Seizing Terror Funds

Houthis Building New Longer-range Missiles with Chinese-imported Parts – Report

Deadly Blast on School Trip Exposes Lurking Explosive Threat after Years of War

What You Need to Know:

Across Israel’s borders, IDF soldiers continue to stand watch around the clock: along the volatile regions of the Gaza border, in southern Lebanon, along the border with Syria and in Judea and Samaria. Much of their work is quiet and unseen, but it keeps Israeli families safe. 

One growing danger is the low-flying drone. The Jerusalem Post, citing a report from Israel’s Walla news site, says IDF Ground Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan is working to establish a new corps dedicated to defending against these drones. The threat first became clear during Hamas’s attacks on the Gaza border, and Hezbollah later used drones against IDF troops in southern Lebanon and civilians in Israel. Smugglers also use heavy drones to carry weapons and drugs across the Egyptian and Jordanian borders. Fiber-optic drones, which are hard to detect, pose a particular challenge. 

The new corps would be built on five border battalions that already guard the borders with Jordan and Egypt and the security barrier in Judea and Samaria. They would add the anti-drone mission to their current duties, joined by a sixth tactical air defense battalion formed during the war. The IDF is also reportedly shifting Ground Forces resources to the effort, including trainers for a new defensive drone school. 

These soldiers must keep adapting to new threats while carrying the daily weight of defending the nation.

Dig Deeper:

IDF Establishing New Corps for Countering Low-altitude Drones amid Growing UAV Threat

What You Need to Know:

Three years after October 7, many Israelis still carry deep wounds. A national study sponsored by Clalit Health Services and partners, released October 11, found that about one in five Israelis still struggles to function day to day because of their mental health. Young women aged 18 to 35 were hardest hit, at 32%. Most Israelis are recovering, but researchers warn that distress is becoming chronic for a significant minority, and that strong family and community support is linked to greater resilience. 

That kind of support is what seven young widows in Jerusalem have found in one another. Their husbands, IDF reservists, were killed fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and northern Israel or died of war-related injuries. Between them, they have 14 children left without a father. They share Shabbat (Sabbath) meals and holidays and lean on each other through the hardest days. Since the wars began, 406 IDF spouses have been widowed and 1,011 children orphaned. 

Wounded soldiers are finding strength in community, too. At House of Heroes in Or Yehuda, central Israel, former IDF special operations trainer Sagi Dovev teaches mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu and Krav Maga (an Israeli self-defense system) to wounded veterans. They include amputees and those with PTSD. According to the Defense Ministry, some 26,200 troops have been wounded since October 7, about 65% of them with psychological wounds.

Dig Deeper:

Together in Their Solitude: 7 IDF Widows Find Friendship as They Navigate Life after Loss

One in Five Israelis “Still Struggling to Function” since Oct. 7 – New Study

After War Put Them on the Ropes, a Martial Arts Gym Gives Wounded Vets a Fighting Chance

What You Need to Know:

This week, the UN General Assembly voted 95 to 5, with 37 abstentions, to adopt a resolution calling for full implementation of the 2001 Durban Declaration. Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, argued “The Durban Conference was supposed to combat racism, but instead became a platform for antisemitism and hatred of Israel,” according to the Jerusalem Post. Danon added, “25 years later, the United Nations continues to celebrate this disgrace and attempts to rewrite history.”

Inside the UN, two Jewish employees told JNS anonymously that the institution has done little to improve conditions for Jewish staffers. One pointed to a June International Labor Organization conference in Geneva, where delegates banged on desks until the Israeli diplomat cut his speech short. The UN’s action plan on antisemitism has had little impact, one staffer said, and the Anti-Defamation League sees no real progress. 

Last week, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, who chaired a UN Human Rights Council commission that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the committee had “lost its moral compass” by honoring a woman he accused of building her career on blood libels against the Jewish state. 

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reviewed campaign documents and found that worldwide anti-Israel protests around the October 7 anniversary were planned in advance by the London-based Global Alliance for Palestine, a coalition of about 200 groups that supplied slogans, media messaging and tactics such as encircling government buildings. Israel’s Foreign Ministry called it a calculated effort to demonize Israel.

Dig Deeper:

UN Adopts Durban Resolution Despite Antisemitic Legacy of Anti-Zionist Declaration

Navi Pillay, Head of UN Commission that Accused Israel of Genocide, Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Global Anti-Israel Protests Coordinated in Advance by International Alliance, Documents Show

Little if any Progress on Jew-hatred at United Nations, Jewish Staffers Say

What You Need to Know:

In England and Wales, Home Office data released last week show anti-Jewish hate crimes rose 10%, from 2,874 offenses to 3,162 in the 12-month period ending in March 2026. Jews faced the highest police-recorded rate of religious hate crime of any faith group: 117 per 10,000 people, compared with 13 per 10,000 for Muslims. The figures excluded London’s Metropolitan Police, which changed how it records crime. The government has pledged £250 million (US $330 million) over three years to protect Jewish communities. 

In Dublin, Jewish community leader Maurice Cohen said a hotel canceled 70 rooms booked for delegates to an international meeting of government envoys combatting antisemitism after learning its purpose. Delegates found other lodging, and the three-day meeting, which included talks with Ireland’s head of government, went ahead. 

In the Netherlands, the city of Alkmaar banned Israeli fans from Thursday’s Europa League match against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, citing security risks, with two anti-Israel demonstrations planned nearby. Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the decision, saying it punishes the victims two years after Israeli fans were attacked in Amsterdam. 

In the United States, Jewish day schools in Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Florida, were locked down or evacuated on October 12 after false threat calls. Two Orthodox Jewish schools in Brooklyn, New York, had been threatened just days earlier. Police found no credible danger, but the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition warned that schools cannot carry the growing security burden alone and called for more government funding.

Dig Deeper:  

Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes Rise 10% in England and Wales, According to Government Data

Dublin Hotel Canceled Bookings for Antisemitism Conference, Jewish Leader Charges

Netherlands “Leading Hotbed of Antisemitism”: Israel Condemns Hapoel Beersheba Ban

Florida, California Jewish Day Schools Evacuate Due to Bomb Threats

What You Need to Know:

On Wednesday, October 14, Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the 10th country to do so. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called it a historic day, noting that the number of embassies in Jerusalem has doubled in under two years and adding that more will follow soon. The step reverses course: Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, in office since August, restored ties that his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, had severed over the Gaza war.  

The internet saw a counter-current amid the third anniversary of October 7, when non-Jewish users on X declared themselves Zionists, often naming their nationality and faith. A Jerusalem Post analysis counted 613 such posts from 549 accounts between October 4 and 11 and found no evidence of central coordination. Posters ranged from Iranian and Nigerian to Japanese and Finnish, and from Christian to Muslim and Hindu. 

Christians are standing up in person, too. On October 9, the Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit visited ancient Shiloh in Samaria, north of Jerusalem, where the Tabernacle stood in the days of Hannah and Samuel. Founder Mike Evans told the JNS that some 1,200 pastors and leaders from 123 countries attended the summit, which aimed to confront antisemitism and the lie that the Jewish people stand alone. 

Meanwhile, the Gaza border communities hard hit on October 7 are growing and rebuilding. About 66,000 people now live there, roughly 10% more than before the attack, according to official figures. More than 90% of evacuees have returned.

Dig Deeper:

Colombia Becomes 10th Country with Embassy in Jerusalem

“I’m not Jewish, I’m a Zionist”: Viral Trend Surges on X as Hundreds Join in

Christian Leaders from 123 Countries Gather at Ancient Shiloh to Stand with Israel

Gaza Border Communities Surge 10% above Pre-Oct. 7 Population