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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 17, 2026, 07 AM 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: We begin with developments in the disputed territories. Israeli rights
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: groups report that Israel has added a tender for over 2,100
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: housing units to its E1 settlement expansion plan in the
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: West Bank. This project, which would bring the total to
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: over 3,400 units, is viewed by critics as including Palestinian
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: officials and Israeli rights groups like Er Amim, as a
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  Speaker 1: move that would bisect the West Bank and cut it
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: off from East Jerusalem, potentially endangering a future Palestinian state.
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  Speaker 1: The tender is set to open for bidding on October 25.
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  Speaker 1: This expansion plan faces opposition from many Western nations. Britain,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: France and Canada, for instance, have recently banned exports from
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Israeli settlements in the West Bank. While the UN, Palestinians
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: and most countries consider settlements illegal under international conventions, Israel
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: disputes this stance. In Gaza, a source close to the
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Board of Peace has criticised Israel's current strategy. This individual
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  Speaker 1: told the Jerusalem Post that while Israel's targeted killings of
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  Speaker 1: Hamas operatives may be justified, the approach will not ultimately
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: lead to the dismantling of the terrorist organisation. The criticism
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  Speaker 1: comes amidst ongoing disputes over the future of Gaza. particularly
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  Speaker 1: following a July 30 agreement between Hamas and the Board
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  Speaker 1: of Peace concerning a framework for phased disarmament, announced by
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  Speaker 1: US President Donald Trump. Israel has reportedly stated it rejects
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  Speaker 1: this framework, with Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasising that the IDF
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  Speaker 1: will not withdraw until Hamas is genuinely disarmed. Israeli officials
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  Speaker 1: contend that Hamas used a period of calm to rebuild
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  Speaker 1: its military capabilities rather than prepare for disarmament. a perspective
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  Speaker 1: the source close to the Board of Peace sharply disagrees with,
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  Speaker 1: describing the policy as similar to the period before October 7th.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: Turning to media coverage, the New York Times has removed
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  Speaker 1: a sentence from a recent article and appended an editor's
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  Speaker 1: note following criticism. The sentence in question, part of a
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  Speaker 1: report by correspondent Isabel Kirchner, stated, but Israelis still largely
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: view themselves as the victims of OCT. 7. Critics, including
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  Speaker 1: the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis,
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  Speaker 1: or CAMRA, argued this wording inadvertently suggested Israelis' experience as
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: terror victims was a matter of perception rather than fact.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: The New York Times stated in its editor's note that
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: the sentence was included due to an editing error and
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: was intended to convey Israelis' perception of the government's military
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: response to the attack, not to question their victimhood. This
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  Speaker 1: correction comes as The Times faces renewed scrutiny over its
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  Speaker 1: coverage of the conflict, with a peer-reviewed study recently alleging
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: disproportionate framing of Palestinians as victims and Israel as the aggressor.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: In European politics, dozens of members of the European Parliament
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  Speaker 1: from the Patriots for Europe group have adopted the International
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: Holocaust Remembrance Alliance principles on combating antisemitism and Holocaust distortion.
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  Speaker 1: At a conference in Strasbourg, Participants also expressed support for
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  Speaker 1: Israel and West Bank settlements, while opposing sanctions and boycotts.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: The group, which includes representatives from various right-wing and nationalist
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  Speaker 1: parties across the continent, signed a charter noting that certain
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  Speaker 1: expressions against the State of Israel can constitute antisemitism, depending
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: on context. Discussions also addressed the potential economic consequences for
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Palestinian workers employed by Israeli businesses if sanctions are imposed. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitic streamer Hassan Paika told Axios that he believes the
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  Speaker 1: United States has caused more terror and death globally than
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: the radical Islamic terror organisation al-Qaeda. In diplomatic news, Israel's
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: foreign ministry has reportedly instructed diplomats to moderate their public
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: criticism of an incendiary documentary. This directive appears to be
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: part of a strategic effort to manage international reactions to
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  Speaker 1: the film. which has drawn attention for its focus on
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  Speaker 1: Palestinian civilian deaths during the war in Gaza. And domestically,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: the Public Defender's Office has asked the Tel Aviv District
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Court to urgently stop the Israel Prison Service from releasing
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: further footage of Agam Tzarafi, a suspect in a murder case.
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  Speaker 1: The Public Defender's Office argues that video circulation showing Tzarafi
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  Speaker 1: escorted by masked prison officers is humiliating and could harm
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  Speaker 1: her right to a fair trial. Responding to the criticism,
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  Speaker 1: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Givia defended the prison service's treatment,
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: alleging Sarafi had disrupted order and mistreated others. For continuing
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism Watch
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch. I'm
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today Ongoing
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: War Report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today Ongoing
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: War Report in your podcast app so you don't miss
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated report
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: comprehensive view.