Latest / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 23, 2026, 04 PM Eastern

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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 23, 2026, 04 PM Eastern · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, speaking to the Jerusalem Post during
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: the ongoing 81st United Nations General Assembly, acknowledged that Israel
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  Speaker 1: finds itself in a diplomatic minority at the UN, a
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  Speaker 1: position he noted has persisted for decades. However, Sa'ar rejected
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  Speaker 1: the characterisation of a broad international consensus against Israel, arguing
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  Speaker 1: that policy regarding existential interests should be dictated by Israel's
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  Speaker 1: own needs, not international majority views. He referenced past Israeli concessions,
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  Speaker 1: such as the Oslo Accords and the withdrawal from Gaza,
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  Speaker 1: stating they had not yielded accumulated diplomatic credit. Saar also
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  Speaker 1: addressed Turkey's policy towards Israel under President Erdogan, calling it hostile. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: a draft US State Department memo, attributed to Secretary of
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  Speaker 1: State Marco Rubio, proposed condemning the United Kingdom, France and
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  Speaker 1: Canada for their plans to block imports from Israeli settlements
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  Speaker 1: in the West Bank. According to reports from Reuters, Jpost.com
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  Speaker 1: and AL Monitor, the draft document, driven by David Milstein
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  Speaker 1: and aide to US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, described these actions
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  Speaker 1: as hostile measures against Israel that contribute to antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: drawing from the playbook of the antisemitic boycotts, divestments and
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  Speaker 1: sanctions movement. This statement was never released. as it did
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  Speaker 1: not receive support from the White House and senior State
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Department leadership. In related comments, former US Secretary of State
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  Speaker 1: Mike Pompeo called French President Emmanuel Macron's assertion that Hamas
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  Speaker 1: has never been particularly active in the West Bank, outrageous,
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  Speaker 1: deeming it ignorance and deliberate whitewashing of terrorism. In Israeli
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  Speaker 1: domestic politics, the Central Elections Committee approved requests to prevent
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  Speaker 1: the Joint List and Ra'am parties from competing in elections
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  Speaker 1: for the 26th Knesset. also disqualifying individual candidates over Kasif
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  Speaker 1: and Sami Abu Shehadeh. Likud and Yisrael Beitei knew supported
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  Speaker 1: these actions, which are expected to face judicial review. Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the family of Neria later, who
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  Speaker 1: was severely injured in an attack, shortly before his departure
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  Speaker 1: for the UN General Assembly. The Prime Minister asked the
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  Speaker 1: public to pray for later's recovery. In Jerusalem, family rallies
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  Speaker 1: continued for Hamanot Kasau, who has been missing for 941 days.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: Her family is demanding the Shin Bet investigate her disappearance,
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  Speaker 1: criticising the current investigation's lack of progress. Shelley Shemtov, mother
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: of released hostage Omer Shemtov, spoke at the demonstration in solidarity. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: Yair Golan stated that a certain farm project must be removed,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: asserting it does not gain legality, even when situated on
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  Speaker 1: state lands, turning to issues of antisemitism, shareholders have filed
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: a lawsuit against the New York Times parent company. The
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  Speaker 1: suit alleges the paper has failed to adhere to its
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  Speaker 1: editorial standards concerning coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, highlighting the
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  Speaker 1: Times' refusal to produce internal records requested by the National
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: Jewish Advocacy Center. A former Jewish newsroom employee, acting as
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  Speaker 1: a whistleblower, reportedly raised concerns about bias and inadequate complaint
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  Speaker 1: escalation within the newsroom. Regarding the conflict with Iran and
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  Speaker 1: its regional proxies, Ahmed Diri, chairperson of the Israel and
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Somaliland Friendship Association, told the Jerusalem Post that Somaliland and
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  Speaker 1: Israel should develop a military partnership, potentially including an Israeli presence,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: to counter Houthi threats. Diri emphasised Somaliland's strategic location near
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  Speaker 1: the Bab al-Mandab Strait. While Somaliland officials previously indicated no
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: Israeli military base negotiations were underway, they confirmed Israeli training
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: for Somaliland personnel. and the president has not ruled out
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  Speaker 1: future military cooperation. Separately, exclusive documentation has emerged from Telegram
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: channel Newsil, detailing the intense battles involving the Shaldag unit
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: in Kibbutz Elumim on October 7, described by participants as
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  Speaker 1: being like, making us Yom Kippur too. In more reflective news,
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Rabbi Albert Axelrad passed away on September 18 at the
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: age of 87. For 34 years, he led Brandeis University's
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Hillel Foundation, fostering Jewish pluralism by supporting diverse religious streams
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: and co-founding the egalitarian Havirate Shalom. His activism also extended
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: to efforts for Soviet Jews and against apartheid. For continuing
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism, watch
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch. I'm
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today ongoing
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: war report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today. ongoing
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: war report in your podcast app so you don't miss
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated report
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: comprehensive view.