Weekly Israel News Roundup: August 14th, 2026

Israel at War - Day 308 of Trump Gaza Ceasefire, Day 128 of Israel/US Iran Ceasefire, Day 164 of the Israel-Lebanon War

Israeli settlers established an illegal outpost in area B in the West Bank near Qusra, blocking the ability of the Palestinian families who live there to leave or enter their own homes. The Palestinians have no access to electricity and sometimes also no access to water. The IDF - Israel Defense Force - in practice enables those outposts. Some of the soldiers who are designated to protect the Palestinians, are actually settlers. In the last few years, and more so since this extreme right-wing government took office in December 2022, the army has turned a blind eye to such illegal actions. The soldiers not only fail to protect the Palestinians, too often they either stand-by and don’t stop the violence of the settlers, or join them. On Wednesday an army unit was sent to evacuate the outpost near Qusra, but shortly after they rebuilt it.

The army is not consistent enough to put everything in order, the police force in the West Bank is not functioning and most of the time do not investigate events of Jewish violence against Palestinians, they do not detain anybody, and very seldom are people arrested and criminally indicted.

The situation has further deteriorated. Even the American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a deep supporter of the settlements in the West Bank, tweeted on X that he condemns the reality as it is unfolding.

They were last seen on Friday 7th August. Mali and her daughter Liel were on a trip to Vienna, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic. They went missing and have left no trace. Their phones were last located at the train station in Vienna. They checked-out of the apartment in Vienna, went to the train station, and subsequently disappeared. Mali’s brother flew to Vienna to help in the search for his sister and his niece. He told reporters that his sister has no reason to intentionally leave. He stated that she has a son in Israel, a grandson and is expecting a new grandson.

She used to talk to her family in Israel regularly during her trips. This was not her first trip abroad, and she usually keeps constantly in touch with the family in Israel. Mali and Liel were last seen on Friday. They were supposed to travel from Vienna to Prague and had a scheduled flight back to Israel on Tuesday night from Prague. They did not make it to the flight. Austrian police spokesperson said there is “currently no indication of foul play”, and they do not believe a crime was committed. Therefore there are more and more indications that they have disappeared of their own free will.

Early Thursday morning the police issued a gag order on the investigation. There is a growing suspicion that the two disappeared willingly and may have been involved in a scam.

After a long process through the legal systems of the Likud Party, the members of the party agreed to allow PM Netanyahu, in his capacity as the head of the Likud party, to reserve 11 spots in the list, in the first 20 spots. This is a move that will leave very few spots for the primary that is scheduled for next Monday. Likud was always proud of being the most democratic party in the Knesset, which held open primaries, and had almost 200,000 paying registered members. But in the last few years, with too frequent elections, this reputation has eroded.

All public opinion polls show a consistent projection whereby the Likud party will gain between 20 to 25 seats (out of 120 in the Knesset) in the forthcoming elections. This is a reduction from the 32 seats held today. It is no secret that PM Netanyahu is not satisfied with some of the most popular Likud Knesset members and he says that he wants to have “attractive players” in the elections. But right now he is using these spots to reserve seats for some of his rivals in the party, to prevent them from exposing uncomfortable things about him.

This move makes the primaries very tough for those who want to run for office, since there are fewer spots open for too many people.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper recently travelled to Israel for high-level strategic talks, arriving from a regional tour that included stops in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. During his visit, Admiral Cooper held a series of closed-door meetings with senior Israeli military leadership, including IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, to conduct comprehensive multi-front situational assessments. The discussions focused on shared regional defense cooperation, security postures involving Iran, and the critical phases of ongoing ceasefires and regional stabilization efforts.

A core message conveyed by the CENTCOM commander during his interactions with senior Israeli officers focused on President Donald Trump’s overarching intent and strategic push to wind down active hostilities and move toward closing all active fronts—specifically encompassing Gaza, Lebanon, and tensions with Iran. According to media reports, Washington’s directive urges the Israeli defense establishment to make decisive progress toward scaling back military operations.

The American push for a synchronized de-escalation has simultaneously highlighted strategic nuances and distinct viewpoints between the allies. While the United States is pressing for broader diplomatic sequencing, multinational force deployments, and further withdrawals, Israeli military and political officials have maintained the imperative to preserve operational freedom of action against persistent threats, such as preventing Iran from reconstituting its nuclear and ballistic capabilities and managing security arrangements along the northern and southern borders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the United States-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza during a cabinet meeting, declaring that Israel does not accept the document and that the Israel Defense Forces will not carry out any military withdrawals until Hamas is fully and genuinely disarmed. The American proposal, formulated by President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, outlines a phased roadmap that sequences gradual, sector-by-sector Israeli troop withdrawals alongside verified disarmament milestones handled by an independent Palestinian technocratic administration. Netanyahu’s stance marks a direct public split with Washington’s framework by demanding comprehensive upfront disarmament before any territorial pullbacks can begin. Hamason the other hand, has offered to disarm after Israel withdraws.