Episode Details

HEADLINES
Belgorod Outages After HIMARS Attacks
Netanyahu Fox Interviews Signal US-Israel Unity
Shin Bet Budget Boost for Arab Crime

The time is now 5:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, power outages are being reported across the Belgorod Oblast of Western Russia this evening, as several explosions have occurred and large fires burn at the Belgorod Thermal Power Station, following multiple missile strikes from Ukrainian M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). The disruptions come as explosions and fires at the Belgorod plant accompany ongoing regional instability tied to those strikes.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, a Washington Free Beacon poll found GOP likely primary voters favor candidates who support a strong US-Israel relationship by 57% and who denounce antisemitism by 52%. The survey also notes concerns centered on the economy and immigration, with cost of living at 31%, immigration at 13%, and the economy at 12% as top concerns. Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s two Fox News interviews in less than 48 hours are described as a coordinated diplomatic move on the eve of a meeting between Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO Summit in Ankara, with Netanyahu stressing the two leaders “agree on 99% of issues” and presenting a united front, particularly on Iran.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, the Shin Bet will receive a dedicated budget of half a billion shekels to address Arab crime, funded from the 550 Plan budget and through reallocations from several ministries; the total for Shin Bet and police will be 567 million shekels, with Cabinet expected to approve the decision at the upcoming meeting. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir hailed the allocation as tremendous news for citizens and a win after former Shin Bet leadership resisted involvement in the fight against Arab crime, as Minister May Golan led the effort to secure the funds. Analysts say a new right-wing party could emerge as voters on the Right seek an alternative to the current coalition and Likud, with many tired of voting Likud due to October 7, and calls for unity among Zionists rising in response to boycotts. Israel’s constitutional crisis deepens as ten petitions await High Court rulings after the government said it would not honor a ruling on the Second Authority council, with pending cases on the Judicial Selection Committee, October 7 inquiry, Ben-Gvir, Al Jazeera and election-period limits that could trigger new clashes.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned Turkey’s foreign minister for what he labeled a “clear call for genocide” against the Jewish people after Hakan Fidan described Israelis as “a burden that humanity can no longer bear.” Sa’ar spoke in Jerusalem with Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, and the two issued a joint statement warning that such rhetoric must be challenged and dehumanization is a dangerous first step on the road to genocide. In a separate interview, Dr. Ofek Reimer told The Jerusalem Post that boycotts against Israeli scholars amount to a “silent boycott” that defunds, demoralizes, and silences independent thinking; he recounted being rejected from an academic conference due to sponsor policy, then being re-invited, though the conference board later concluded that they could not.

Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.

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