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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-13 at 10:02
Published 2 weeks, 4 days ago
Description
HEADLINES
- Netanyahu-Trump talks pivot to diplomacy
- Ramadan crowds test Temple Mount balance
- UK court finds Palestine Action ban unlawful
The time is now 10:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, on the latest episode of The Jerusalem Dispatch, Ruth Marks Eglash, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Report, and journalist Calev Ben-David discuss the ongoing dynamic among Israel, Iran and the United States. Their conversation centers on the recent diplomatic discussions between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump, noting that Netanyahu’s visit to Washington did not yield the approval for a military action against Iran, while President Trump stressed a diplomatic path to resolve tensions. The absence of a press briefing after the meeting pointed to a shift in strategy away from direct confrontation toward negotiations. The hosts also examine Iran’s nuclear program, its missile program, and its support for regional proxies such as Hezbollah, and they highlight the challenge of enforcing any comprehensive deal with Iran, emphasizing that while the nuclear issue is critical, Iran’s broader regional influence must be addressed.
In the Disputed Territories, Temple Mount’s delicate balance is tested as Jewish prayer and Ramadan crowds converge, with the piece noting that for decades after 1967 a simple rule defined the site: Jews could visit but not pray. The article reflects on how Ramadan brings tens of thousands to al-Haram al-Sharif, shaping daily rhythms on the Mount, with security heightened to protect both worshipers on the esplanade and those praying at the Western Wall below. It explains that for Jewish visitors, Ramadan is a time when access and visibility on the Mount are constrained, and even quiet acts of prayer—whispering a Shema, prostrating, or learning from a Torah page—take on heightened significance. The second piece in this topic details a coordinated moment of Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount: escorted by police, about 25 people walked the esplanade toward the Dome of the Rock, singing a traditional tune, while a police officer asked if they were being filmed. A participant who spoke to a reporter described the personal significance of praying there, while observers, including Muslims nearby, watched in silence. The developments sit alongside a report from Gaza, noting a mass burial in Dir al-Balah for 53 bodies returned from Israel and not yet identified, underscoring the human toll of the conflict and the fragility of daily life in the broader area.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, a pair of courtroom stories and state responses frame a tense picture. A pair of men, Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein, were jailed in the United Kingdom for planning an Islamic State–inspired attack on the Jewish community, with prosecutors describing a plan to use automatic firearms to kill as many Jews as possible. The judge sentenced Saadaoui to at least 37 years and Hussein to at least 26 years, underscoring how close authorities believed they were to carrying out the plan. In France, President Emmanuel Macron marked the Ilan Halimi ceremony and urged a nationwide mobilization—schools, the justice system and elected officials—to combat antisemitism, condemning online hatred and calling for platforms to be held to account. France’s Interior Ministry data showed 1,320 antisemitic acts in 2025, accounting for more than half of all anti-religious incidents, even as total antisemitic acts fell 16 percent from the year before. Separately, Britain’s High Court ruled that the government’s decision to outlaw the anti-Israel group Palestine Action was unlawful, though the ban remains in place while the government considers an appeal, with the court finding the group’s level of activity did not meet the threshold for proscription. The ruling comes against a backdrop o
- Netanyahu-Trump talks pivot to diplomacy
- Ramadan crowds test Temple Mount balance
- UK court finds Palestine Action ban unlawful
The time is now 10:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, on the latest episode of The Jerusalem Dispatch, Ruth Marks Eglash, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Report, and journalist Calev Ben-David discuss the ongoing dynamic among Israel, Iran and the United States. Their conversation centers on the recent diplomatic discussions between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump, noting that Netanyahu’s visit to Washington did not yield the approval for a military action against Iran, while President Trump stressed a diplomatic path to resolve tensions. The absence of a press briefing after the meeting pointed to a shift in strategy away from direct confrontation toward negotiations. The hosts also examine Iran’s nuclear program, its missile program, and its support for regional proxies such as Hezbollah, and they highlight the challenge of enforcing any comprehensive deal with Iran, emphasizing that while the nuclear issue is critical, Iran’s broader regional influence must be addressed.
In the Disputed Territories, Temple Mount’s delicate balance is tested as Jewish prayer and Ramadan crowds converge, with the piece noting that for decades after 1967 a simple rule defined the site: Jews could visit but not pray. The article reflects on how Ramadan brings tens of thousands to al-Haram al-Sharif, shaping daily rhythms on the Mount, with security heightened to protect both worshipers on the esplanade and those praying at the Western Wall below. It explains that for Jewish visitors, Ramadan is a time when access and visibility on the Mount are constrained, and even quiet acts of prayer—whispering a Shema, prostrating, or learning from a Torah page—take on heightened significance. The second piece in this topic details a coordinated moment of Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount: escorted by police, about 25 people walked the esplanade toward the Dome of the Rock, singing a traditional tune, while a police officer asked if they were being filmed. A participant who spoke to a reporter described the personal significance of praying there, while observers, including Muslims nearby, watched in silence. The developments sit alongside a report from Gaza, noting a mass burial in Dir al-Balah for 53 bodies returned from Israel and not yet identified, underscoring the human toll of the conflict and the fragility of daily life in the broader area.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, a pair of courtroom stories and state responses frame a tense picture. A pair of men, Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein, were jailed in the United Kingdom for planning an Islamic State–inspired attack on the Jewish community, with prosecutors describing a plan to use automatic firearms to kill as many Jews as possible. The judge sentenced Saadaoui to at least 37 years and Hussein to at least 26 years, underscoring how close authorities believed they were to carrying out the plan. In France, President Emmanuel Macron marked the Ilan Halimi ceremony and urged a nationwide mobilization—schools, the justice system and elected officials—to combat antisemitism, condemning online hatred and calling for platforms to be held to account. France’s Interior Ministry data showed 1,320 antisemitic acts in 2025, accounting for more than half of all anti-religious incidents, even as total antisemitic acts fell 16 percent from the year before. Separately, Britain’s High Court ruled that the government’s decision to outlaw the anti-Israel group Palestine Action was unlawful, though the ban remains in place while the government considers an appeal, with the court finding the group’s level of activity did not meet the threshold for proscription. The ruling comes against a backdrop o