News Roundup for February 23, 2026
War, Word on the Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “There is no decision more consequential than the decision to go to war. Entire nations can be destabilized. Regional conflicts can widen. Tens of thousands – or more – of lives can be altered or lost. Once begun, war rarely unfolds according to plan.”
At Least 10 Killed in Lebanon, Officials Say, After Israel Strikes Hezbollah, New York Times
“Health authorities did not identify any of the dead and said in a statement that at least 24 people were also wounded in the strikes, among them three children.”
Trump Considers Targeted Strike Against Iran, Followed by Larger Attack, New York Times
“Negotiators from the United States and Iran are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Thursday for what appears to be last-ditch negotiations to avoid a military conflict. But Mr. Trump has been weighing options for U.S. action if the negotiations fail.”
In Area C, Faster Demolitions Clear the Way for Jewish Expansion, Haaretz
“At least eight other houses there have already received stop-work and demolition orders for the same reason: they are located in Area C and were built without permits from Israeli authorities. This is despite the neighborhood bordering regulated parts of Nablus and being far from any settlement or settler road.”
Israel’s Government Wants to Pull the Plug on Its Own Military Radio, Washington Post
“Critics, however, see the effort as part of a broader offensive against media outlets that have criticized Netanyahu’s right-wing government. Since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel of Oct. 7, 2023, the government has increased its attacks on the news media, a campaign that appears to be growing ahead of national elections expected later this year.”
US Says Ambassador’s Comments on Israel and the Middle East Were Taken Out of Context, Politico
“Huckabee spoke in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include much of the Middle East, including parts of modern-day Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon…Huckabee responded: ‘It would be fine if they took it all.'”
West Bank Mosque Torched in Suspected Settler Attack, Haaretz
“The mosque was also sprayed with hate graffiti, with inscriptions including ‘revenge’ and ‘price tag.'”
You Could Be Imprisoned for Praying at the Western Wall — and Bibi Isn’t Stopping It, The Forward
Dan Perry writes, “The proposed bill would grant the ultra-Orthodox–controlled Chief Rabbinate exclusive authority to determine what constitutes ‘desecration’ at Jewish holy sites, including the Western Wall, with violations punishable by five to seven years in prison. In practice, this would almost certainly place non-Orthodox streams of Judaism — Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist — alongside Women of the Wall and other egalitarian prayer groups at legal risk for engaging in forms of worship embraced by millions of Jews worldwide.”
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