THE UK & ISRAEL
In 2015, British security services uncovered three and a half tons of explosive ammonium nitrate hidden inside thousands of first-aid kits in London following a tip from Israel’s Mossad. A subsequent parliamentary report revealed this stockpile was linked to Hezbollah attack planning. In 2017, Israeli agents penetrated an ISIS cell in Syria and found it building explosives disguised as laptop batteries; Britain subsequently banned laptops from aircraft cabins on certain routes. Israeli-made Hermes 450 drones flew reconnaissance for the British Army in Afghanistan from 2007, logging 70,000 hours by 2013, much of it searching for roadside bombs ahead of British patrols. These are a few instances in a long history of critical intelligence and military co-operation between Britain and Israel.
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The UK’s import ban targeting Israeli West Bank businesses will harm local livelihoods and disrupt vital inter-community cooperation, according to business leaders and analysts. Factory owner Yehuda Cohen and researcher Ella Rosenberg emphasized that reducing the profitability of West Bank firms directly threatens Palestinian employment options and damages peaceful co-existence. Other commentators suggested the British government should compensate the Palestinian workers who face lost income or jobs as a result of the policy.
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Former MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove criticized the British government’s sanctions against Israel, questioning their practical implementation and overall logic. He argued it would have been wiser to refrain from action until after the upcoming Israeli elections rather than attempting to intervene beforehand.
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In response to UK sanctions against West Bank communities, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced retaliation measures, described in last week’s Update.
Sa’ar said, “Israel has nothing against the British people. We know that we have many friends in Britain. Unfortunately, a hostile Labour Government is in office, systematically acting against the State of Israel, and it has left us with no choice but to finally respond to its hostile actions.”
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Footnote
The foreign ministers of 12 countries confirmed on Tuesday their intention to impose restrictions on trade in goods from Israeli communities in the West Bank, including the UK, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Click here
VENICE FILM LIBEL
The IDF on Monday issued a forceful rejection of allegations presented in the documentary film “NAZA,” which secured a special award at the Venice Film Festival.
It said the accusations of intentional harm to Palestinian civilians was entirely baseless and built on unsubstantiated testimonies.
“The IDF has never planned, approved, or carried out a strike in Gaza in which 500 civilians or anything near that number were anticipated to be killed….The filmmakers couldn’t possibly verify this claim, there is no real supporting evidence, and yet they published it anyway.” Click here
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said Monday that the film “NAZA” “is based on blood libels, deliberate distortions of reality, and grave, false accusations against IDF soldiers and commanders.”…he said the military operates in accordance with international law, its ethical code and values, and is at the forefront of efforts to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians. Click here
There are highly-trained air force operations and legal military officials involved in IDF targeting decisions, despite claims by the “NAZA” film that the military has given over its discretion to artificial intelligence (AI).
The IDF says the film ignores Hamas and all of the massive efforts the IDF took during the war to evacuate civilians and to call off legally valid attacks because the IDF wanted to avoid harming civilians.
In some cases, the air force even redirected missiles away from hitting Hamas terrorists after firing them, when civilians unexpectedly appeared close to the strike zone. Click here
Former IDF chiefs of staff and political figures Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz both strongly condemned the film, accusing its creators of portraying a distorted view of the IDF. They both defended the IDF’s commitment to high moral standards in battle and said that the film undermines Israel during a critical time. Click here
And see Comment & Opinion below
IRAN THREAT
U.S. and Middle Eastern intelligence indicates that Iran is actively assembling ballistic missiles from existing stockpiled parts at underground facilities. Although American and Israeli strikes damaged key production infrastructure and blockades have limited imports, experts assess that Iran still maintains thousands of ballistic missiles in its arsenal.
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SOLIDARITY
Over 5,000 global leaders and public figures signed an open letter strongly rejecting accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, calling the charge a false statement that fuels worldwide antisemitism. The signatories emphasized that genocide requires intent, which they argue applied only to Hamas’s actions during and after the October 7 attacks. Furthermore, the letter criticized Israel’s detractors for altering the definition of genocide while remaining silent on major civilian atrocities elsewhere, such as in Iran.
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GAZA
The IDF and ISA have intensified targeted operations in Gaza, killing key Hamas commanders and striking 20 weapons facilities over recent weeks to disrupt the group’s rebuild efforts. There were 5 targeted strikes on Hamas terrorists on Monday.
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HIZBULLAH
The Arab League Council adopted a resolution rejecting Iranian foreign influence in Lebanon and Hizbullah’s continued military activities.
The council affirmed its full support for Lebanese independence and sovereignty and expressed collective support for Beirut’s decision to establish a state monopoly over weapons and security decisions, referencing the government’s March decision to ban Hizbullah from military activity.
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Human Rights Watch reported that Hizbullah unlawfully fired banned cluster munitions into the Israeli town of Metula in March 2026, warning that the use of these inherently indiscriminate weapons may constitute a war crime. Additionally, the UN highlighted that Hezbollah launched unguided rockets into populated Israeli areas, violating the laws of war due to the weapons’ inability to distinguish between military targets and civilians.
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The IDF says it has reduced Hizbullah’s heavily fortified strategic command centre on the Ali Taher ridge to a “sandbox,” with blasts that registered as a magnitude 4.1 seismic event.
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Israeli defence officials accuse the Lebanese army of taking only superficial action against Hezbollah out of fear of sparking a civil war, missing an opportunity to dismantle a weakened organization. Meanwhile, local leaders in southern Lebanon have begun demanding that Hezbollah remove its weapons from their communities to prevent targeted Israeli strikes.
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TECHNOLOGY
Apple recently unveiled its long-anticipated foldable iPhone with Chief Hardware Officer Johny Srouji presenting the iPhone Duo. Srouji, an Israeli-Arab, was born in Haifa and studied at the Technion. In 2008, he led development of the Apple A4, the first Apple-designed system-on-a-chip. Srouji was also responsible for setting up Apple’s R&D centre in Herzlia its second largest in the world. Click here
SAUDI ARABIA
Following rapid Houthi territorial gains around the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has indirectly requested intelligence assistance from Israel through U.S. Central Command to help safeguard the vital shipping route. This behind-the-scenes cooperation between nations without formal diplomatic ties comes as the U.S. administration considers potential military intervention to address the escalating threat to global trade.
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NAURU
The small Pacific island state Nauru opened an embassy in Jerusalem last week, joining a handful of nations recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the holy city.
Papua New Guinea and Fiji are already among seven UN member-states to open embassies in Jerusalem, while Samoa has stated it will join them later this year. Click here
A FORMER HOSTAGE’S STORY
Former hostage Omer Shem Tov described the prolonged loneliness, intense hunger, and physical abuse he endured during 505 days in Hamas captivity, in a recent interview. Click here
FAUDA
The fifth season of the Israeli hit series “Fauda” reached fourth place globally on Netflix following its recent release, claiming top-ten spots across numerous Arab nations including Lebanon, Jordan, and the UAE. Episodes 7 and 8 deal directly with the events of the October 7 massacre, drawing intensely emotional reactions from international viewers for their raw realism. Co-creator Avi Issacharoff said that the season aimed to convey a story deeply felt by Israelis to a global audience.
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The fifth season of “Fauda” channels the deep national trauma of the attacks to reveal the core vulnerability beneath Israel’s image of military strength. By depicting how close war is to everyday domestic life, the show offers global viewers insight into the existential fear Israelis feel about the safety of their homes and future.
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NEW YORK TIMES
A new academic study conducted by the Yale School of Management, has concluded that the New York Times’ reporting on the war in Gaza since the Oct. 7 massacre has displayed a severe and persistent bias against Israel, obscuring Hamas’s responsibility for the continuing conflict and largely overlooking Israeli casualties.
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SPORT
Israeli windsurfer Tamar Steinberg won the gold medal at the iQFOiL Windsurfing World Championships in England. Israeli Sharon Kantor took the silver, while another Israeli, Daniela Peleg, came fourth. 20-year-old Steinberg took first place in the World Cup in France in April as well as in the European Championships in Portugal in May. Click here
COMMENT & OPINION
Britain & Israel
Wall St Journal Editorial: Israel offered the Palestinians a state in the West Bank and Gaza in 2000-01. They turned it down and launched a terrorist intifada, then rejected it again in 2008. What Palestinians keep saying, but the likes of Mr. Miliband refuse to hear, is that they won’t live in peace alongside a Jewish state. Yet Britain, Canada and France…subsidize the Palestinian Authority, a dictatorship that still awards “pay-for-slay” salaries to terrorists who murder Jews.
The sanctions’ impetus is supposedly Israel’s plan to build in E1, an area in the Jerusalem suburbs. This is an excuse – E1 stayed Israeli in the 2000 peace proposal negotiated by Bill Clinton.
This is an attack on Israel, its economy and sovereignty, as a whole… It’s the European way by now: The Palestinians start wars they lose and won’t make peace, but the Europeans punish Israel to pressure it to make land-for-war concessions anyway. (paywall) Click here
Amb. Alan Baker: Milliband’s reference to Israel’s tender for construction in the 12-sq.-km. E1 area between Jerusalem and the town of Ma’ale Adumim as an “unacceptable and destructive act” appears to ignore that this tiny piece of land is located in what was agreed between the Palestinians and Israel in the Oslo Accords to be Area C of the West Bank territory, under Israel’s complete jurisdiction and control. Under the Accords, Israel has the right and prerogative to conduct planning, zoning and construction in this area, in the same manner in which the Palestinians… are entitled to do in the Areas A and B.
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Stephen Daisley: The UK government’s policy shift on Palestine was driven by domestic political calculations to appeal to Muslim voters, influenced by an overseas propaganda campaign since Oct 7 (handsomely funded by Qatar and Iran) aimed at weakening Western support for Israel. This approach harms British trade with a nation that produces cutting-edge technology and life-extending medicines, undermines domestic political focus, and heightens security risks and hostility for the UK’s Jewish community.(paywall)
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Jake Wallis Simons: Last year, the UK even recognized a “state of Palestine” while emaciated Israeli hostages were languishing in the tunnels under Gaza; evidently, it did not occur to the government to demand their release first.
Damaging our relations with Israel, with its cutting-edge tech and world-beating security and intelligence services, is woefully irresponsible. UK-Israel bilateral trade involves billions of pounds, significant UK job creation, huge amounts of pharmaceutical supplies, and critical defence technology.
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David Blair: While Miliband argues that Israeli West Bank settlements undermine a two-state solution, Palestinian terrorism, particularly in response to past territorial withdrawals has permanently killed the viability of a Palestinian state, making symbolic UK sanctions ineffective and ignored by Israeli politicians.
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Allister Heath: Miliband’s decision to sanction Israel is an act of political appeasement that undermines a key Western ally while compromising the safety of British Jews. The double standards are monstrous in UK foreign policy: Britain maintains friendly relations with authoritative regimes like Qatar and Turkey while singling out Israel. Miliband assumes the barrier to peace is Israeli intransigence, while in fact it has always been Palestinian rejectionism: its elites have always chosen war over accepting a Jewish polity and a two-state solution. (paywall)
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Andrew Fox: Israel will endure anything Britain is realistically prepared to impose before accepting what they believe would be national suicide. It is an abject fantasy to expect them to relinquish the West Bank’s strategic depth while Palestinians retain their ambition to destroy Israel from the river to the sea.
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Boris Johnson: Despite Gaza’s potential for economic prosperity, Hamas prioritized Islamist zealotry and military infrastructure over civic development, exemplified by their destruction of a popular local water park. Consequently, Israel rejects a two-state solution without guaranteed security, while the UK government wrongly targets Israel with sanctions rather than pressuring Hamas to renounce violence. (paywall) Click here
Melanie Phillips: Miliband defamed Israel and laid out how it would be punished for the crime of refusing to commit suicide.
It would never occur to Miliband to sanction Palestinian leaders for tyrannizing Palestinian Arab dissidents, supporting and rewarding terrorists, and teaching their community’s children that their highest calling is to murder Jews and steal their land.
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Gaza
Becket Adams: Recall last year’s rash of viral videos that purported to show starving Gazans withering in blizzard conditions: Arab women crawling through snowbanks and begging for food, children with frostbitten faces, snow-covered tents. Never mind that Gaza lies on the Mediterranean, where blizzards are virtually unknown. The videos, which racked up hundreds of thousands of views, were obvious fabrications.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese claimed that the Gaza death toll included 380,000 “infants under five.” The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics estimated that Gaza’s total under-five population was 341,790. In November 2023, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths called the situation in Gaza worse than the Khmer Rouge’s killing fields. For context, the Khmer Rouge murdered 1.7-2 million Cambodians.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour claimed that the Israeli hostages were “probably treated better than the average Gazan.”
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Venice Film Festival
Dr Tuvia Book: I am an IDF combat medic.
In all my years of training, operations, and reserve duty, I never received an illegal order. I never took part in any action that deliberately harmed civilians. Every briefing before every mission, large or small, stressed the values of the IDF. This film, funded in part by organisations that deny Israel’s right to exist, presents anonymous, unverified allegations while completely omitting the October 7 Hamas atrocities. I recently heard an interview with an IAF pilot who aborted mission after mission against the same target in Gaza, where civilians might have been harmed. Colonel Richard Kemp, former British commander of forces in Afghanistan, has said Israel’s army has taken greater precautions to protect civilians than any army in the history of warfare. The people who killed civilians with intent on October 7th were Hamas and the mobs who followed them, murdering, raping, and torturing 1,200 people, and dragging 250 hostages, including babies, back into Gaza to cheering crowds. That footage, filmed gleefully by the perpetrators themselves, appears nowhere in (the film) “NAZA.” Click here
Also see: Jonathan S Tobin: Quoting critique by Raviv Drucker who saw the film. Click here
Paushali Lass: Click here
Sarit Zehavi: Click here
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Wall St Journal Editorial: The ICJ is using the case of Myanmar’s attacks on the Rohingyas to potentially expand the legal definition of genocide, a move that could directly impact the outcome of South Africa v. Israel. However, high civilian casualties in Gaza stem from fighting Hamas in unprecedented urban warfare rather than genocidal intent. Legal experts warn that lowering this legal threshold risks turning genocide into a malleable concept used by rogue states to politically handcuff Western democracies during military conflicts.(paywall) Click here
Palestinian Arabs
Aviva Klompas: If Palestinians are entitled to sovereignty…then Palestinian leaders should be responsible for building the institutions that make sovereignty viable. They should be responsible for whether their people vote, whether public money rewards violence, whether schools prepare children for co-existence and whether their political culture treats negotiation and compromise as diplomacy or betrayal.
Foreign governments cannot manufacture a viable Palestinian state by removing the expectations placed on the people who would govern it. Click here
Nicole Lampert: UK PM Burnham gives “the underdog” Palestinians unique victim status while ignoring their repeated rejection of peace plans and role in initiating conflicts. This double standard unfairly blames Israel, overlooking the fact that Palestinians used control of Gaza to launch violence rather than build a peaceful state.(paywall) Click here
Other reading
British musician Boy George posted on X:
In the last few months, my life has changed beyond all compare. I made a decision to support my Jewish friends and without hesitation. I feel anxious almost everywhere I go but I do not regret my decision. I have seen friends that I have helped and supported turn on me without a conversation. I support anyone calling for peace. That is what we should all be doing. Click here
Col. Richard Kemp: Political warfare against Israel led by Russia and China.
US intelligence assessments have determined that the Gaza conflict provides uniquely productive conditions for foreign-influence operations in the West.
No other ally comes anywhere near approaching the value that Israel provides to America and the West’s collective defence in intelligence.
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