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  • At the Western Wall, Congo’s President Prays for Jerusalem: Israel’s African Gamble

    At the Western Wall, Congo’s President Prays for Jerusalem: Israel’s African Gamble

    TL;DR — On 1 September 2026, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, paid an official visit to Israel: welcomed by President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu, praying at the Western Wall and touring its tunnels, while his foreign minister met Gideon Sa’ar. Kinshasa, which pledged as early as 2023 to open an embassy in Jerusalem, reaffirmed that commitment.

    Some images sum up a policy. On 1 September 2026, in Jerusalem, Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, laid his hand on the stones of the Western Wall, wearing a kippah, and placed a prayer note between them before touring the Kotel tunnels. Received the same day by President Isaac Herzog and then by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while his foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, met Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Congolese leader did not come as a mere visitor. He came to reaffirm a choice.

    A rare commitment: an embassy in Jerusalem

    The DRC belongs to the very small circle of countries that have pledged to place their embassy in Jerusalem. Tshisekedi announced it back in 2023; the move has since been delayed, with Israel due to open a mission in Kinshasa in return. This visit puts it back on track. In a world where recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital remains a weighty diplomatic act taken by only a handful of states, the Congolese commitment stands out — and would make the DRC the first sub-Saharan African country to take that step.

    The stakes for Congo

    For Kinshasa, drawing closer to Israel is far from symbolic. The DRC has for years faced a war in its east, where the M23 rebellion destabilises the Kivu provinces; a peace process with neighbouring Rwanda is under way and was raised during the visit. Congo is seeking partners in security, intelligence, cyber-defence and agriculture — fields in which Israeli expertise is recognised. Add the religious dimension: the DRC is an overwhelmingly Christian country, where support for Israel and attachment to Jerusalem run deep. Praying at the Kotel speaks to Tshisekedi’s electorate as much as to his partners.

    The stakes for Africa

    The Congolese move is part of a wider re-engagement. Long complicated, Israel’s relations with Africa are warming — and Jerusalem is cultivating it actively: cooperation in agriculture, water, solar energy, health and security. The DRC, a giant of 100 million people and a heavyweight of the African Union, matters. Its gesture may set an example on a continent where several capitals still hesitate between old solidarities and new interests. For Africa, the equation is clear: engaging Israel means access to breakthrough technologies in water, agrifood and digital — just when the continent needs them most.

    The stakes for Israel

    For Israel, finally, the visit is a diplomatic breath of fresh air. Under intense international pressure since October 2023 and facing attempts at isolation, the Jewish state needs open friends. An African head of state praying openly at the Western Wall and confirming his embassy in Jerusalem is a living rebuttal to the narrative of isolation. There is also a first-order strategic interest: the DRC holds the world’s largest cobalt reserves and major coltan and copper deposits — the critical minerals of the energy transition and the defence industry. Behind the prayer lies a geopolitical and economic card Jerusalem has every reason to play.

    A hand on the stone, a political signature

    By placing his hand on the Wall, Félix Tshisekedi did more than perform an act of faith. Before the world, he signed an alliance in the making — between an African giant rich in resources and youth, and an Israel seeking to break the circle of its isolation. The image must now become action: the promised embassy, security agreements, economic partnerships. But in Jerusalem, on that 1 September, the direction was unmistakable.

    FAQ

    Who is Félix Tshisekedi?

    The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on an official visit to Israel on 1 September 2026.

    What did he do in Jerusalem?

    He prayed at the Western Wall, placed a note between its stones and toured the tunnels, and was received by President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

    Has the DRC moved its embassy to Jerusalem?

    It pledged to do so in 2023 and reaffirmed it; the actual move remains delayed, with Israel due to open an embassy in Kinshasa in return.

    Why does this visit matter?

    It seals a strategic rapprochement: security and technology for Congo, African openness and critical minerals for Israel, at a moment of heavy diplomatic pressure on Jerusalem.

    By Patrick Lancier

  • Untitled post 652

    Western Cape High Court: Krawitz not funding genocide via Keren Hayesod or Jewish Agency

    “By Patrick Lancier”

    On 4 September 2026 the High Court of South Africa (Western Cape Division, Cape Town) handed down a final interdict in Cape Union Mart International (Pty) Ltd and Philip Joseph Krawitz v named protesters and the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Cape Town. Full bench: Judith Cloete J (penned), Constance Noluthando Nziweni J and Roy Barendse J. Case 2025-092980 (heard 15, 17 and 18 June 2026; delivered electronically 4 September). The court barred claims that Cape Union Mart, brands including Poetry, Old Khaki and K-Way, or Krawitz fund “genocide,” kill children, support genocide, or are associated with the State of Israel. Framing is straightforward: the court protected reputation and dignity against false genocide accusations aimed at a Jewish businessman — not a ban on criticising Israel or on boycotts.

    Admissible evidence: Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency

    Judge Cloete held, as reported by the SA Jewish Report, that “the admissible evidence establishes that Krawitz is not funding a genocide or murdering babies, whether directly or indirectly, through the positions he holds in Keren Hayesod or the Jewish Agency for Israel, and that Cape Union Mart is not doing so either.” GroundUp notes Krawitz’s affidavit: neither he nor the company had involvement in the war in Gaza; his personal ties to Israel stem from Judaism — a spiritual homeland, not its government. He received a Keren Hayesod Yakier Award for philanthropy in 2015; he denied a 2023 allegation that he pledged to “raise money for the Israeli war fund.” The company is a separate legal entity. Krawitz is executive chairperson, not a shareholder; a board of nine; brands include K-Way, Poetry, Old Khaki and Travel & Safari (judgment OCR). PSC’s internet downloads and hearsay did not become facts. Cloete: any right-thinking person knows the danger of treating “what is found on the internet” as truth.

    What is barred — what remains allowed

    Order paragraphs 2–8 (OCR): no claim of association with the State of Israel; no claim that Cape Union Mart or its brands fund “genocide” or any military conflict in Gaza; no claim that Krawitz is “funding genocide,” the Israeli army, or the Gaza conflict; no claim that the applicants are killing children or complicit; no defamatory statements that they support a genocide in Gaza or have “killer(s) ways”; no preventing customer access; protests must comply with the Regulation of Gatherings Act 205 of 1993. Each party pays its own costs. News24, GroundUp, SAJR and EWN all stress Cloete’s line: the case is not about limiting criticism of Israel; it is about stopping defamation “under the guise of freedom of expression.” Boycotts and lawful protest remain. PSC’s Usuf Chikte told EWN the boycott continues. The issue before the court was not whether there is genocide in Gaza — “that is not the issue before us” — but whether the applicants fund it. The court found they do not. “We are a court of law, not a court of public opinion.”

    Community reaction and costs note

    Cape SAJBD’s Daniel Bloch welcomed an affirmation that protest does not extend to harassment or unfair targeting of businesses or individuals because they are Jewish. SAZF Cape’s Joshua Schewitz: the PSC theory of collective guilt of Jewish businessmen “does not exist in our law.” Protests had run since November 2023 (~19 months), including after an August 2025 interim order by agreement. Cloete noted Krawitz’s October 2024 sarcastic interview remark — he “probably stoked the proverbial fire” — and ordered each side to bear its own costs despite substantial success for the applicants. Context for US/Israel readers: after Hamas’s 7 October massacre and the war that followed, South African street protest turned false funding claims into a reputational weapon; a full bench answered with evidence rules, not slogans.

    FAQ

    Did the court find Krawitz funds genocide through Keren Hayesod or JAFI?

    No. Cloete J: admissible evidence establishes he does not, directly or indirectly (SAJR; GroundUp).

    Can protesters still boycott Cape Union Mart or criticise Israel?

    Yes. The interdict targets defamation and store-blocking, not criticism of Israel or boycotts (EWN; SAJR).

    What case number and bench?

    Case 2025-092980; Cloete J, Nziweni J, Barendse J; delivered 4 September 2026 (OCR).

    Sources

    “By Patrick Lancier”


  • Captain Ella, Lieutenant Colonel: The Arab Israeli Woman Who Speaks to the Arab World for the IDF

    Captain Ella, Lieutenant Colonel: The Arab Israeli Woman Who Speaks to the Arab World for the IDF

    TL;DR — Born in Qalansawe, an Arab Muslim town in Israel’s Triangle region, Ella Waweya became the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson on 15 February 2026, succeeding Avichay Adraee. A lieutenant colonel, she is the highest-ranking Muslim in the IDF and the first woman to lead the army’s Arabic communications. Known as “Captain Ella,” she has more than half a million TikTok followers and 200,000 on X.

    Some life stories capture an entire society. Ella Waweya’s is one of them. On 15 February 2026, a quiet handover ceremony in Tel Aviv changed the face of Israeli military communications: Colonel Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language voice for nearly two decades, passed the role to a 36-year-old woman from an Arab town in central Israel. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Ella Waweya becomes the highest-ranking Muslim in the Israeli army and the first woman to head its Arabic communications.

    Who is Ella Waweya?

    She was born on 16 October 1989 in Qalansawe, an Arab Muslim town in Israel’s Triangle region. She grew up at a time when, for many of her neighbours, the Israeli uniform still stood for the adversary. A teenager during the Second Intifada, she watched the conflict through Al Jazeera’s screen. Then came the day, at sixteen, when she was handed her Israeli ID card. One thought stayed with her: she is a citizen of this country. The rest of her life would be a patient answer to that fact.

    She was a serious student. She earned a BA with honours in communications from Netanya Academic College, followed by an MA — also with honours — in government and political marketing from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Reichman University). She worked in the media, including radio, and founded the “Shared Life” project dedicated to Arab–Jewish coexistence. After national service at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba in 2011, she made a decision that would upend her life.

    A volunteer enlistment, kept secret

    In 2013, Ella Waweya volunteered for the IDF — service that Israeli law does not require of the country’s Arab citizens. She became the first female soldier from her region. By her own account she went so far as to collect the keys to the family’s mailboxes, to be sure the army’s letter would reach no eyes but her own. She hid her uniform for nearly a year and a half. In 2015, President Reuven Rivlin awarded her a distinction for excellence as a soldier.

    “Captain Ella”: a voice for the Arab world

    For seven years, under the name “Captain Ella,” she built a singular presence: an Israeli officer, a Muslim, an Arabic speaker, addressing the Arab world directly in its own language. Today she has more than half a million followers on TikTok and around 200,000 on X. Her work has earned commendations from Israel’s president, defence minister and chief of staff.

    She describes a job that is as much interpreter as spokesperson: tailoring each message to its audience. Before an Israeli or open audience, the tone is direct and pedagogical; before a hostile one, it takes firmness, visual proof, presence in the field. She likes to compare her mission to Plato’s allegory of the cave: the prisoners mistake the shadows on the wall for reality. Her role, she says, is not to paint prettier shadows but to testify to what lies outside — even when the outside is hard to look at.

    A symbol beyond a single career

    Her appointment is bigger than one woman’s path. In Qalansawe, some twenty young people have since followed the road she opened toward the army’s communications units. For them, the IDF is no longer only a hostile rumour: it is also the face of a woman from their own village, in uniform, speaking their language. In succeeding Avichay Adraee, Ella Waweya did not change her name when she changed her rank. The insignia changed. The composure did not.

    In a region that too often adds up identities as if they were contradictions, her path says the opposite: one can be Arab, Muslim, Israeli and an officer, without giving up anything. She embodies a rare and unapologetic pride — that of an Arab woman proud to be Israeli, who sees in her citizenship neither betrayal nor surrender, but full belonging. That may be the strongest message she carries, far beyond her official duties.

    FAQ

    Who is Captain Ella?

    Ella Waweya, an Israeli army officer born in 1989 in Qalansawe, known as “Captain Ella.” Since 15 February 2026 she has been the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson.

    What is her rank?

    Lieutenant colonel. She is the highest-ranking Muslim in the Israeli army.

    Whom did she replace?

    Colonel Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson for nearly two decades, who stepped down in early 2026.

    Why is her path exceptional?

    Israel’s Arab citizens are not subject to conscription. She volunteered in 2013, becoming the first female soldier from her region.

    By Patrick Lancier

  • The Return of Antisemitism Is a Warning to Every Democracy

    The Return of Antisemitism Is a Warning to Every Democracy

    TL;DR — Since the October 7, 2023 attacks, antisemitic incidents have reached record levels across Europe and the United States. Echoing historian Deborah Lipstadt’s warning that antisemitism is “the canary in the coal mine” for democracy, this op-ed argues one thing: hatred of Jews is never only a Jewish problem. Where it thrives, trust in institutions, shared truth and the rule of law all erode. Fighting it means defending democracy itself.

    One number, then another, then a pattern

    You can argue endlessly about how to define antisemitism. You can argue far less about the counters. In the United Kingdom, the Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents in 2024, the second-highest annual total in its history, behind the all-time record of 4,296 in 2023, the year of Hamas’s attack on Israel. The monthly average, which hovered around 154 cases before October 7, has nearly doubled.

    In France, the Service de Protection de la Communauté Juive (SPCJ) counted 1,570 antisemitic acts in 2024, after 1,676 in 2023 — compared with just 436 in 2022. The threshold of a thousand acts has now been crossed two years running, with 106 physical assaults recorded in 2024, the worst tally of violence in a decade.

    In the United States, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) logged 9,354 antisemitic incidents in 2024, the highest figure since it began tracking nearly half a century ago. For the first time, a majority — 58% — referenced Israel or Zionism. That averages more than twenty-five incidents a day, more than one an hour.

    Three countries, three methodologies, one curve. This is not a statistical accident. It is a trend.

    Deborah Lipstadt’s warning

    In an op-ed published by The Telegraph on August 30, 2026, the central question is not whether Jews are afraid — they have said so, and the numbers prove them right. The question is what that fear reveals about the rest of society.

    Historian Deborah Lipstadt, the former US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, distilled the idea into a now-famous phrase: antisemitism is “the canary in the coal mine” for democracy. No society, she reminds us, has ever tolerated antisemitism and remained a healthy democracy. Hatred of Jews never stops with the Jews. It is an early symptom, a leading indicator of a political body in decline.

    “Anybody who buys into the conspiracy myth at the heart of antisemitism — the notion that Jews control the media, the banks, the government or the judiciary — has already given up on democracy.”

    Why conspiracy thinking is the real poison

    Modern antisemitism is not merely a prejudice; it is a theory of the world. It offers a total explanation: if something goes wrong — an economic crash, a war, a pandemic — a hidden hand must be pulling the strings. That mental architecture is precisely the one that hollows out democracy from within. It teaches that institutions lie, that elections are rigged, that the press is bought, that science is corrupt.

    A citizen who believes this no longer deliberates: he suspects. He no longer debates: he denounces. That is why authoritarian regimes and disinformation operators find antisemitism such a convenient tool. It does not just supply a scapegoat; it discredits the very idea that shared truth and legitimate institutions are possible at all.

    What normalization costs everyone

    The danger is not only violent acts. It is normalization. When slogans that would once have caused outrage become acceptable rallying cries; when centuries-old conspiracy theories resurface on social media repainted in the colors of current events; when a community must secure its schools, synagogues and shops as if in wartime — the entire democratic fabric stretches thin.

    The mechanism is always the same. A society that accepts one group being targeted with impunity teaches itself, in the process, that targeting with impunity is possible. Jews are often the first to be attacked; they are rarely the last. That is the precise sense in which antisemitism is a warning: it tests the strength of the barriers democracy has built against hatred, falsehood and arbitrary power.

    Defending Jews, or defending democracy? Both, inseparably

    Beware a misreading. Saying that antisemitism threatens democracy is not about instrumentalizing Jewish suffering in the service of some “nobler” cause. It is the opposite: it recognizes that the safety of a minority and the health of a nation are bound by a single thread. You cannot protect one without the other.

    This also demands rigor. Criticizing the policy of a government, including Israel’s, is legitimate democratic debate. Holding Jews collectively responsible, imputing to them a suspect loyalty, reviving the old conspiratorial fantasy — that is hatred. The line is not always easy to draw, but it exists, and refusing to draw it out of intellectual convenience already cedes ground.

    The responsibility of democracies

    What is to be done? First, name it. A democracy afraid to call antisemitism what it is condemns itself to watch it grow. Second, protect: concretely guarantee the security of Jewish sites, enforce the law against threats and violence, with no grey zones and no double standards. Finally, educate: against conspiracy thinking, the only lasting weapon is a population able to tell information from rumor, criticism from slander.

    None of this is a privilege granted to one community. It is an investment in collective resilience. A society that knows how to protect its Jews knows, in truth, how to protect everyone — because it has kept in working order the institutions, laws and attachment to truth that protect us all.

    The return of antisemitism is not a communal news item. It is an alarm addressed to every democracy. It is up to them to decide whether they hear it.

    FAQ

    Why say antisemitism threatens democracy and not only Jews?

    Because modern antisemitism rests on a conspiracy theory that delegitimizes institutions, the press and science. This systematic distrust is the seedbed of authoritarian drift. Historically, no democracy has stayed healthy while tolerating hatred of Jews — hence Deborah Lipstadt’s “canary in the coal mine.”

    Are the figures cited reliable?

    They come from recognized bodies that have documented antisemitic incidents for decades: the CST in the UK, the SPCJ in France and the ADL in the US. Methodologies differ across countries, but the upward trend since October 7, 2023 is consistent.

    Is criticizing Israel antisemitic?

    No. Criticizing a government’s policy is legitimate democratic debate. The shift into antisemitism occurs when Jews are held collectively responsible for a state’s actions, imputed a suspect loyalty, or targeted through classic conspiracy myths.

    What can democracies actually do?

    Name antisemitism clearly, guarantee the security of Jewish sites, enforce the law without double standards, and invest in education against disinformation and conspiracy thinking.

    Sources

    • The Telegraph, “The return of anti-Semitism is a warning to every democracy,” August 30, 2026 — telegraph.co.uk
    • Community Security Trust (CST), Antisemitic Incidents Report 2024 — cst.org.uk
    • SPCJ / Crif, Antisemitism figures in France, 2024 — crif.org
    • Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2024 — adl.org

    By Patrick Lancier

  • Israelis took NIS 11.6 billion in mortgages in July; U.S. new-home sales fell to 607,000

    Israelis took NIS 11.6 billion in mortgages in July; U.S. new-home sales fell to 607,000

    Israelis took NIS 11.6 billion in mortgages in July; U.S. new-home sales fell to 607,000

    By Patrick Lancier

    Israeli households took NIS 11.563 billion in new mortgages in July, according to the Bank of Israel as reported by Globes on 25 August. The average loan was NIS 1.117 million, close to the March peak of NIS 1.129 million. In the United States, the Census Bureau and HUD put July new single-family sales at 607,000 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, 10.5 percent below June. A wartime central bank still books housing credit. That is not a country disappearing.

    Israel still writes the loans

    Globes, citing the Bank of Israel, puts July originations at NIS 11.563 billion. The average mortgage rose to NIS 1.117 million after a dip from March’s NIS 1.129 million. Ynet, on 12 August, prints the same 11.563 billion and about 8 percent more than July a year earlier. From January to July, Israelis took about NIS 68.7 billion, roughly 13 percent more than a year earlier, Ynet reports, citing the Israel Mortgage Advisors Association on the year-to-date comparison.

    Luxury still takes a large slice. In July, NIS 1.67 billion, about 14.5 percent of the total, went to properties worth NIS 5 million or more. Forty-three percent of new mortgages were on properties worth NIS 3 million or more. Contractor “bullet” and “balloon” loans totaled NIS 1.609 billion, 14 percent of the month, slightly below June’s 14.7 percent. The housing market can be slow and the credit tape can still run. Both can be true in the same month.

    July is not a new rush to buy

    The advisors’ association told Ynet the July print is not a fresh demand wave. Much of it, they say, is 2023 and 2024 contractor deals reaching the payment stage now. The big numbers tell yesterday’s contracts as much as today’s buyers. That does not cancel the Bank of Israel figure. It explains the lag. Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran opened fire. The IDF answers. The statistics calendar still closes on time.

    The Central Bureau of Statistics has not yet published a June–July home-price index. The last two-month print remains May–June. The quarterly average of NIS 2.435 million in the second quarter still stands. Tel Aviv and Beersheba are not the July mortgage tape. They are a different series.

    U.S. new homes: 607,000, median $393,800

    Census and HUD, in release CB26-128 on 25 August, estimate July new single-family sales at 607,000 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate. That is 10.5 percent (±14.0 percent) below a revised 678,000 in June, and 6.3 percent (±19.6 percent) below 648,000 in July 2025. The bureau marks both drops as not statistically significant. Use the number. Do not call it a collapse.

    The median price was $393,800. The average was $508,800. Inventory at the end of July was 488,000 houses, 1.9 percent above June, a 9.6-month supply at the current sales rate, up from 8.5 months. Realtor.com calls the median the lowest since July 2021. The Census page itself does not print that comparison. Freddie Mac’s 30-year remaining at 6.66 percent as of 27 August is last week’s rate, not a new print.

    FAQ

    Is NIS 11.563 billion a new Israeli buying boom?

    It is the Bank of Israel’s July origination total, via Globes and Ynet. Advisors say much of it is 2023–2024 contractor deals reaching payment, not a new demand wave.

    What is the NIS 1.117 million figure?

    The average new mortgage in July 2026, close to March’s NIS 1.129 million peak. Globes, 25 August, citing the Bank of Israel.

    Did Americans stop buying new houses?

    No. Census put July sales at 607,000 SAAR, 10.5 percent below June. The bureau says the drop is not statistically significant.

    Is $393,800 the U.S. existing-home median?

    No. It is the median price of new houses sold in July. Existing-home sales are a different NAR series.

    Sources

    By Patrick Lancier


  • Netanyahu condemns settler rioters in Qusra and Jalud, orders full prosecution

    Netanyahu condemns settler rioters in Qusra and Jalud, orders full prosecution

    Netanyahu condemns settler rioters in Qusra and Jalud, orders full prosecution

    By Patrick Lancier

    Israel’s prime minister, president, foreign ministry and army all rejected the same thing on Saturday. A handful of rioters broke the law in the West Bank villages of Qusra and Jalud. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attacks “criminal acts of violence.” He said they cause a grave injustice to the law-abiding Jewish and settler public, interfere with IDF missions, and harm Israel’s standing in the world. The IDF and Border Police removed the rioters from a Palestinian home, seized vehicles, and opened a police investigation. Netanyahu said he expects arrests and prosecution. This is the Israeli state drawing a line — not looking away.

    Qusra: the IDF removes rioters from a Palestinian home

    On Saturday, residents and the military said dozens of Israeli settlers descended on Qusra, near Nablus. They threw stones. They barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while residents were still inside, according to the IDF statement reported by France 24 (AFP) and The Times of Israel. Soldiers and Border Police were dispatched after reports of violent clashes, including stone-hurling toward Palestinians and other civilians. Forces identified dozens of rioters inside the house, worked to remove them, separated the groups, and confiscated vehicles suspected of having brought them to the area. The vehicles are evidence. A police investigation has been opened. Forces stayed on to prevent further disturbances and restore order. “The security forces strongly condemn all forms of violence,” the military said.

    The Jerusalem Post adds Netanyahu’s operational detail: security forces ended the incident “in a short time” and confiscated three vehicles. The IDF, the Shin Bet and the police are investigating.

    Netanyahu, Herzog and the Foreign Ministry reject a handful of rioters

    Netanyahu’s first comment on the violence in the area, per The Times of Israel, was unambiguous. “I strongly condemn the criminal acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud by a handful of rioters who are violating the law, causing a grave injustice to the law-abiding Jewish community, interfering with the IDF in carrying out its missions, and harming Israel’s standing in the world.” The Jerusalem Post records the same statement with “law-abiding settler public.” He said security forces acted quickly, seized three vehicles, and ended the incident in a short time. He expects the rioters arrested and brought to justice. President Isaac Herzog also condemned the attack in Qusra. Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the violence “a disgrace,” AFP reported (France 24 / The Hindu reprint). The distinction is the one the prime minister drew: a handful of criminals, not the law-abiding public, and not the army doing its job.

    U.S. concern in August, Israeli condemnation on Saturday

    Earlier this month, settlers blocked supplies from reaching Palestinian houses on the outskirts of Qusra, trapping residents inside. That siege drew unusually strong criticism from the U.S. ambassador, France 24 reports. Saturday’s violence is the sequel, not the first chapter. The American concern is on the record. So is Israel’s answer the same day: the prime minister, the president, the Foreign Ministry and the IDF all condemned the rioters, removed them, seized three vehicles as evidence, and opened a criminal investigation. Netanyahu expects the rioters arrested and brought to justice. The IDF, Shin Bet and police are investigating.

    FAQ

    What did Netanyahu say?

    He strongly condemned “criminal acts of violence” in Qusra and Jalud by a “handful of rioters” who violate the law, harm the law-abiding public, interfere with the IDF, and damage Israel’s standing. He expects arrests and prosecution. Jerusalem Post; France 24 / AFP.

    Did the IDF intervene?

    Yes. Soldiers and Border Police removed rioters from a Palestinian home, separated the groups, confiscated vehicles — three, per Netanyahu — and stayed to prevent further disturbances. A police investigation is open. IDF, Shin Bet and police are investigating.

    Has anyone been arrested?

    Netanyahu said he expects the rioters to be arrested and brought to justice. A police investigation has been opened. The IDF, Shin Bet and police are investigating.

    Why does this matter in Washington?

    Earlier in August the U.S. ambassador issued unusually strong criticism of a siege on Qusra’s outskirts (France 24 / AFP). On Saturday the Israeli prime minister, president, Foreign Ministry and IDF condemned the new violence and moved to investigate it.

    Sources

    “By Patrick Lancier”


  • Mossad chief Gofman met Syria’s foreign minister in Amman

    Mossad chief Gofman met Syria’s foreign minister in Amman

    Mossad chief Gofman met Syria’s foreign minister in Amman

    By Patrick Lancier

    Amman, August 23, 2026. Mossad director Roman Gofman sat down in Jordan with Syria’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani. Axios reported the meeting first, citing three sources. It is the highest-level public contact between Israel and Syria since Bashar al-Assad fell in December 2024. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the encounter. Neither Jerusalem nor Damascus confirmed it. The United States has spent more than a year trying to broker a security arrangement, Reuters notes. Washington wants a channel. Israel showed up — and it had already defended itself when a warning was ignored.

    Abu al-Duhur: Israel hit a Turkish radar threat, not the talks

    Five days earlier, on August 18, Israeli aircraft struck the disused Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib province, near the Turkish border. This was not a raid to wreck diplomacy. Two sources told the Jerusalem Post the strike was meant to stop a Turkish radar and air-defense system, manned by Turkish troops, from going in. Israel had already told Washington that intelligence showed Turkey preparing to send radar, troops and air defenses to a Syrian base, KAN News reported, via the Post. Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Netanyahu ordered a direct warning to senior Syrian officials “in an attempt to prevent the move.” “After the request went unanswered, the prime minister and I authorized the IDF to carry out the strike, which commenced successfully.” Katz said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to back down.”

    A spokesman for Netanyahu’s office said Syria had been “on the verge of breaching” an agreed security status quo by allowing Turkish troops onto the base, “chose to ignore” Israel’s warnings, and that Erdogan has made “open calls” for Israel’s destruction, the Jerusalem Post reported. Syrian state television, via the Associated Press, said eight strikes hit the runway and reported no casualties.

    Damascus says it does not trust Israel. Israel has grounds.

    Al-Shaibani told Reuters, the day before Amman, that Damascus saw a “historic opportunity” for diplomacy and then said: “We do not trust Israel currently.” That is the Syrian line. It is not the verdict of this article. Israel spent years watching Assad’s Syria host Iran and Hezbollah. It has reason not to trust a capital that, on Israeli intelligence, was opening the door to a Turkish radar on the same northern flank. Al-Shaibani told Axios there was “no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces.” He said Israel struck after that message had been delivered. Jerusalem’s account is the opposite: the warning went out; Damascus did not answer; the air force did.

    The room in Amman, with Washington in the frame

    On August 14, before the strike, Gofman had already spoken with al-Shaibani by phone, The New Arab reported, citing diplomatic sources. The subject was already Turkey’s military footprint in Syria. N12 said Syria’s general and military intelligence chiefs sat in the Amman room with Gofman and al-Shaibani. A source told the Jerusalem Post the talks “went well.” AFP, citing a diplomat and a Syrian government source, said they discussed a “special operations room” in Jordan under U.S. supervision to prevent a clash inside Syria, including one involving Turkey, The Hindu reported. The United States wants that phone to ring. Israel picked it up. It has not said it will stop hitting what it treats as a threat.

    The same PMO spokesman put the map in figures Israel will live with: Israeli forces hold about one-tenth of one percent of Syrian territory along the border; Turkey, he said, has a “substantial military presence” in about 5 percent of Syria. “More than a year ago, Israel and Syria reached an understanding to maintain the security status quo and to keep this border calm. Syria breached that understanding.” “We are not looking for escalation. But neither Turkey nor any other country is going to threaten the state of Israel.” AFP recalled that Israel and Syria’s new authorities had accepted an intelligence-sharing mechanism in January. Amman reopened a live line. A security agreement is not signed. Diplomacy and self-defense are not opposites. In Amman, Israel did both.

    Sources

  • IDF warns Finance Ministry delay will force September cuts to northern and southern reserves

    IDF warns Finance Ministry delay will force September cuts to northern and southern reserves

    IDF warns Finance Ministry delay will force September cuts to northern and southern reserves

    “By Patrick Lancier”

    Israel is still fighting on several fronts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the transfer of defense funds. The Finance Ministry is dragging its feet. Senior military officials told The Jerusalem Post that without the money, the IDF will cut reserve forces in the Northern and Southern Commands in early September, slash intelligence gathering — especially the expensive third circle — and risk losing U.S. munitions production lines. West Bank reserves will not be cut. This is about keeping the army funded against Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis — not about delaying the fight.

    Finance foot-dragging despite the prime minister’s order

    The Jerusalem Post, citing senior military officials on Thursday, reports Finance Ministry “foot-dragging” on transferring funds despite instructions from Netanyahu. The government has determined that the Defense Ministry and the IDF need NIS 40 billion over the next four months to cover funding gaps for the current year. The Finance Ministry had committed to transferring NIS 15 billion, then withdrew that commitment. Ynet (Elisha Ben Kimon) places the same gap in political terms: Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed last week on an injection of roughly 40 billion shekels — about $12 billion — that would lift the 2026 defense budget to 184 billion shekels, the second-highest after 188 billion in 2024. An earlier arrangement foresaw 15 billion immediately and a later decision on another 25 billion; the Treasury wanted to test whether military forecasts were inflated. The transfer has not landed.

    What the IDF says it will cut in early September

    Unless Finance complies next week, officials listed three measures. First: a sharp reduction in reserve forces under Northern and Southern Commands. They decided not to cut reserves in the West Bank Division, citing heightened tensions and security warnings. The chief of staff placed an additional division on alert in case reinforcements are needed during the holidays. Second: a sharp reduction in intelligence gathering across several arenas, particularly the third circle — space-based capabilities and other highly expensive technological systems. One official said: “We have not managed to find a formula that makes it possible to produce intelligence in many arenas simultaneously without a budget.” Third: preparing for possible escalation with Iran and other third-circle threats, including the Houthis in Yemen and pro-Iranian Shi’ite militias in Iraq, which need regular training, spare parts and munitions stocks.

    Additional cuts are expected on force buildup, including procurement tied to General Staff investigations into the October 7 attacks. A senior security official told Walla, quoted by the Post: failure to transfer sufficient funding would lose contracts and production lines at U.S. companies that manufacture munitions for Israel’s air, land and naval forces — and hit aircraft procurement and long-term space, air defense and ground weapons. Another warning: “If they do not transfer the budget now, the next government will have 145 days to pass a new budget.” “If it does not happen now, we will lose a year of work on force buildup and ongoing operations.”

    Zamir: empty coffers while the fronts stay hot

    Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told Ynet on Thursday the IDF is also “engaged in a battle over the budget.” “At a time when the IDF and its personnel are stretched across all fronts, we are having to deal with ‘empty coffers.’ Such a situation harms the IDF’s readiness.” He ordered heightened readiness from Iran and Lebanon to Gaza and the West Bank; an additional regular division headquarters is on alert for the holidays; the IDF will keep full operational staffing through the holidays, with no planned reduction in combat forces. That does not cancel the Post’s warning. Zamir is saying holiday combat staffing stays. The Post is saying northern and southern reserve cuts begin in early September unless the money moves. West Bank reserves stay either way. Ynet also notes the Defense Ministry is carrying roughly 15.5 billion shekels in debt to Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael and Elbit.

    Israel does not get to pause Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas or the Houthis while ministries argue. The army is asking for the budget the prime minister already ordered. Without it, the cuts start in September.

    FAQ

    Have the reserve cuts already started?

    No. The Jerusalem Post reports they are expected to take effect in early September — next week from Thursday’s briefings — unless the Finance Ministry transfers the funds.

    Will West Bank reserves be cut?

    No. Officials decided not to reduce reserve forces in the West Bank Division because of heightened tensions and security warnings. Northern and Southern Commands are the ones facing sharp reserve cuts if the money does not arrive.

    How much money is at stake?

    The government says the Defense Ministry and IDF need NIS 40 billion over four months. Finance had committed to NIS 15 billion then withdrew. Ynet: roughly 40 billion shekels (~$12 billion) would lift the 2026 defense budget to 184 billion shekels.

    What did Chief of Staff Zamir say?

    Ynet: “empty coffers” harm readiness while the IDF is stretched across all fronts. Holiday combat staffing stays full. That coexists with the warning on northern/southern reserve cuts if Finance does not transfer.

    Sources

    “By Patrick Lancier”


  • IDF and Shin Bet kill Hamas Jenin commander Qais Bitawi and two accomplices in rare West Bank airstrike

    IDF and Shin Bet kill Hamas Jenin commander Qais Bitawi and two accomplices in rare West Bank airstrike

    IDF and Shin Bet kill Hamas Jenin commander Qais Bitawi and two accomplices in rare West Bank airstrike

    “By Patrick Lancier”

    On Friday 28 August 2026, the IDF and the Shin Bet killed Hamas Jenin commander Qais Bitawi and two accomplices in a rare aerial strike in Jenin. The joint statement said he directed, funded and executed attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces, and kept ties with Hamas in Gaza and abroad. Weapons were found in the vehicle. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a successful thwarting of the terrorists in Jenin. The strike dismantled a Hamas cell that had kept plotting against civilians and soldiers after Operation Iron Wall.

    A rare strike in Jenin

    The Jerusalem Post reports a joint IDF–Shin Bet statement: an Israel Air Force strike on a vehicle in the Jenin area killed a senior Hamas operative and two additional terrorists. The Times of Israel calls it a rare West Bank airstrike. After Bitawi and two accomplices were spotted leaving a car next to a structure, a drone strike killed the three. The military said they had been identified as armed. Weapons were in the vehicle. The IDF named Bitawi. It did not name the two accomplices.

    The Jerusalem Post sometimes writes Bitwani. The IDF, the Shin Bet and the Times of Israel name him Bitawi. Al-Monitor, carrying Reuters, likewise names Qais Bitawi and two accomplices in a rare use of air power in the West Bank.

    Directing, funding and executing attacks on civilians and soldiers

    The IDF and Shin Bet said Bitawi advanced significant terror activity: directing, funding and executing attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces. He maintained ties with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and with Hamas operatives abroad. The Post reports he was involved in the July 2024 Gilboa Seam bombing, in which two Defense Ministry employees were injured. The Times of Israel, citing a military official, places that bombing along the West Bank security barrier — the same attack, two wounded ministry employees.

    The strike followed an extensive intelligence effort led by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence. Israeli forces arrested and questioned dozens of contacts before locating him. Several earlier attempts to arrest him had failed, the Post writes, while he kept operating. Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed that Bitawi was one of its commanders, the Times of Israel reports. That confirmation matches the Israeli description of a Hamas commander, not a bystander.

    After Iron Wall, a cell from Qabatiya

    The Jenin network in which Bitawi operated had been dismantled during Operation Iron Wall, the large-scale campaign in the northern West Bank. He did not stop. A military official told the Times of Israel that after Bitawi was pushed out of the Jenin camp, he “continued to act to advance terror plots, including commanding a terror cell from the village of Qabatiya that sought to carry out attacks.” The Post adds he was a relative of Noor Bitawi, the former Jenin network commander killed by the IDF in May 2025. The cell was being rebuilt. Friday’s strike cut it.

    Netanyahu and Katz: Israel does not wait

    Netanyahu congratulated the IDF for the “successful thwarting of the terrorists in Jenin.” Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “We do not wait for terrorism.” He described the strike as among the fruits of an offensive policy in Judea and Samaria, and claimed an 80% drop in West Bank terror. That 80% figure is Katz’s claim. It is not independently verified. Israel pursues Hamas networks that plot against its civilians and its soldiers. It does not wait for the next bombing on the Gilboa Seam.

    FAQ

    Who was killed?

    Qais Bitawi, a Hamas Jenin commander, and two accomplices. The IDF named Bitawi. It did not name the other two. Friday 28 August 2026, Jenin, rare airstrike. Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Reuters via Al-Monitor.

    What did the IDF and Shin Bet say he did?

    Directed, funded and executed attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces. Ties to Hamas in Gaza and abroad. July 2024 Gilboa Seam bombing: two Defense Ministry employees injured. After Iron Wall, a terror cell from Qabatiya.

    Did Al-Qassam confirm him?

    Yes. The Times of Israel reports that Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed Bitawi was one of its commanders.

    Is the 80% drop in West Bank terror a verified statistic?

    No. It is Defense Minister Israel Katz’s claim. It is attributed to him. It is not independently verified.

    Sources

    “By Patrick Lancier”

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