Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-20 at 04:02
Published 1 week, 2 days ago
Description
HEADLINES
JPPI reveals harsh bias Rafah Iran protests
West Bank incitement crackdown nets 420 arrests
Trump mobilizes forces for possible Iran clash
The time is now 4:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), media coverage of the IDF’s entry into Rafah and related demonstrations versus Iranian protests was dramatically unbalanced, a JPPI study released Thursday shows. The Glazer Information Center at JPPI conducted the research, led by Shlomi Berznick, Eli Kanai and Yaakov Katz. JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern says the study was designed to demonstrate that when Israel conducts a defensive war against armed terrorist organizations that attacked it, it is judged harshly, while when the Islamic regime massacres its own citizens, the international response is comparatively modest. The report notes sizable gaps in the volume of international media coverage and in the number of protests in the United States between the Rafah operation and Iran’s protests.
As Ramadan began this week, the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, under Brigadier General Kobi Heller, intensified efforts to curb incitement in the West Bank. Since the war began, more than 420 inciters have been arrested; in the past two weeks alone, 17 key inciters were arrested as part of a broader operation ongoing since October 7, 2023. The crackdown targets social media, sermons in mosques, and public speeches, and includes discussions with senior Palestinian officials to prevent inflaming tensions. While security forces say they have reduced attacks from organized infrastructures or institutionalized cells, lone attackers remain a risk.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, life in Israel has continued with a sense of calm as President Donald Trump positions forces for potential conflict with Iran. The departure hall at Ben-Gurion Airport and everyday commerce show no signs of panic; flights and shopping proceed as usual. Conversations among the public center on when a US action might occur, rather than signs of mass exodus or shortages. President Herzog said the pardon process for Prime Minister Netanyahu is following accepted procedure, and he has no inside information about timing. Israel is closely watching developments in Washington and Tehran while maintaining normal security preparedness.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, ultra-Orthodox party officials accuse Miri Frenkel-Shor, the legal adviser to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, of blocking progress on the long-delayed conscription bill. They say some of her conditions reflect an ideological approach rather than purely legal considerations, pointing to insistence on maintaining ongoing sanctions for those who do not enlist even if recruitment targets are met. One senior official said Frenkel-Shor’s demands are tougher than those previously presented and suggested there is no purely legal basis for her stance. Separately, a 19-year-old from Beitar Illit had his detention extended by the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court to February 22, 2026, in relation to a beit-mahane incident in Bnei Brak and related security investigations.
In Israeli Economy and Business, a housing project in Yeruham’s Maktesh district moves forward with a notable market-price gap of about 400,000 shekels. The project is organized as a building group without developer profit, with land ready for construction. Yeruham has signed a framework agreement worth billions as the city expands and prices begin to move. An in-depth, no-cost webinar on the project and its numbers is scheduled for Monday at 20:15, with a limited number of places available to interested investors and homebuyers; registration is required.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep
JPPI reveals harsh bias Rafah Iran protests
West Bank incitement crackdown nets 420 arrests
Trump mobilizes forces for possible Iran clash
The time is now 4:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), media coverage of the IDF’s entry into Rafah and related demonstrations versus Iranian protests was dramatically unbalanced, a JPPI study released Thursday shows. The Glazer Information Center at JPPI conducted the research, led by Shlomi Berznick, Eli Kanai and Yaakov Katz. JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern says the study was designed to demonstrate that when Israel conducts a defensive war against armed terrorist organizations that attacked it, it is judged harshly, while when the Islamic regime massacres its own citizens, the international response is comparatively modest. The report notes sizable gaps in the volume of international media coverage and in the number of protests in the United States between the Rafah operation and Iran’s protests.
As Ramadan began this week, the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, under Brigadier General Kobi Heller, intensified efforts to curb incitement in the West Bank. Since the war began, more than 420 inciters have been arrested; in the past two weeks alone, 17 key inciters were arrested as part of a broader operation ongoing since October 7, 2023. The crackdown targets social media, sermons in mosques, and public speeches, and includes discussions with senior Palestinian officials to prevent inflaming tensions. While security forces say they have reduced attacks from organized infrastructures or institutionalized cells, lone attackers remain a risk.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, life in Israel has continued with a sense of calm as President Donald Trump positions forces for potential conflict with Iran. The departure hall at Ben-Gurion Airport and everyday commerce show no signs of panic; flights and shopping proceed as usual. Conversations among the public center on when a US action might occur, rather than signs of mass exodus or shortages. President Herzog said the pardon process for Prime Minister Netanyahu is following accepted procedure, and he has no inside information about timing. Israel is closely watching developments in Washington and Tehran while maintaining normal security preparedness.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, ultra-Orthodox party officials accuse Miri Frenkel-Shor, the legal adviser to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, of blocking progress on the long-delayed conscription bill. They say some of her conditions reflect an ideological approach rather than purely legal considerations, pointing to insistence on maintaining ongoing sanctions for those who do not enlist even if recruitment targets are met. One senior official said Frenkel-Shor’s demands are tougher than those previously presented and suggested there is no purely legal basis for her stance. Separately, a 19-year-old from Beitar Illit had his detention extended by the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court to February 22, 2026, in relation to a beit-mahane incident in Bnei Brak and related security investigations.
In Israeli Economy and Business, a housing project in Yeruham’s Maktesh district moves forward with a notable market-price gap of about 400,000 shekels. The project is organized as a building group without developer profit, with land ready for construction. Yeruham has signed a framework agreement worth billions as the city expands and prices begin to move. An in-depth, no-cost webinar on the project and its numbers is scheduled for Monday at 20:15, with a limited number of places available to interested investors and homebuyers; registration is required.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep