HEADLINES- Sa-Nur revival plan reshapes West Bank- Hezbollah seeks two billion Iran postwar aid- Feldstein testimony hits Netanyahu on hostage talksThe time is now 10:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.This hour’s update surveys shifts across the Middle East and related global security concerns that are shaping how Israel frames its security needs and how the United States and other powers respond.In the West Bank, Israel’s government approved a plan to allow settlers to return to Sa-Nur, a community evacuated during the 2005 disengagement in the northern portion of the region. The move, a de facto reversal of the disengagement, signals a political push to restore the settlement and management of communities in areas evacuated two decades ago. Palestinian officials and observers will weigh the implications for security arrangements, governance, and potential escalations on the ground as this process unfolds.Separately, Israeli security authorities reported that Jewish settlers in the same area were involved in a violent incident during the night, allegedly slaughtering Palestinian livestock and vandalizing property. Israeli soldiers and police responded to the incident after a report was received, highlighting the ongoing frictions at the intersection of settlement activity, Palestinian livelihoods, and security operations that have persisted across the West Bank.On the broader security front, Hezbollah in Lebanon is expressing dissatisfaction with Iranian support and is seeking as much as two billion dollars in post-war aid to rehabilitate its forces after recent hostilities with Israel. Tehran has previously transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah to bolster its capabilities, a pattern that regional observers say continues to influence the balance of power along Israel’s northern front and complicate efforts at regional de-escalation.In Syria, Druze militias in the Sweida region have claimed that forces aligned with the Syrian government attacked them, while reports from other parts of the country described clashes involving Syrian army units and forces associated with the Kurdish-led, US-backed coalition in northern Syria. The situation underscores the multi-front pressures facing Syria’s government and its regional role, and it arrives as Damascus seeks to manage competing external and internal security threats during ongoing conflict dynamics.Turning to domestic and international politics connected to Israel, testimony from Eli Feldstein, the former spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has surfaced in media interviews as part of a wider set of legal and political challenges surrounding the Netanyahu government. Feldstein alleged that Netanyahu supported plans to use classified intelligence to influence hostage negotiations with Hamas and described how the prime minister’s office was involved in efforts to curb investigations into the leak of a classified document. Netanyahu’s office rejected the claims, saying the statements were unfounded and politically motivated. The episode, set against the backdrop of the October 7 crisis and the ongoing war in Gaza, feeds into broader debates over accountability, government decision-making under pressure, and the role of security considerations in public messaging.In the cultural and intellectual arena, Judea Pearl, father of the late journalist Daniel Pearl, has released a new collection of writings titled Coexistence and Other Fighting Words. In it, he describes the idea he calls “Zionophobia,” defined as the denial of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in any part of the Middle East, and argues that this sentiment has gained traction on university campuses in the wake of recent events. Pearl emphasizes that Zionism remains a legitimate and central element of Jewish self-understanding, while acknowledging the enduring debates within diverse Jewish communities about how best to pursue security, coexistence, and dialogue. His reflections come as campuses across the United States and beyond confront intensifying discussions about Israel, antisemitism, and free expression, and they contribute to a broader international conversation about how to balance advocacy, scholarship, and security concerns in an era of heightened tensions.On the security policy front in the United States, a notable development centers on military modernization. Former President Donald Trump announced a project described as the “Trump Class,” a plan to build two new warships intended to maintain US maritime dominance and deter potential adversaries, including in regions where US interests intersect with Middle East security. While framed as a broad, strategic investment, the move also reflects ongoing debates inside the United States about how best to project reliability and deterrence in a rapidly shifting security landscape.Against this backdrop, a broader Western ...
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