10/07/2026
This Week Today
Current Events from Israel
This week marks three years since the beginning of the Simchas Torah War/Oct. 7th. Obviously the real anniversary was on Simchas Torah itself, but you can’t take pictures on that day, so they had to do a different one. It seems they have chosen the non-Jewish date for the official commemoration. Luckily for them, the Maccabees aren’t around these days…
Anyway, ceremonies were held and many warnings of attacks were issued. No attacks took place, not from Hamas and not from Iran. The various ceremonies also passed peacefully, despite the upcoming elections and continued lunacy of some of the leftist former hostages and their families.
A quick scorecard for reference:
-Hamas and Hezbollah are decimated (but still exist)
-There are no Israeli hostages, dead or alive, in Gaza or anywhere else
-4000 out of 6000 terrorists who entered Israel on Oct. 7th have been eliminated
-No rockets from Gaza into Israel in the last year - first time this century
-The IDF remains in most of Gaza and in large chunks of Lebanon and Syria
-Over 100 Jewish communities have been legalized in Judea and Samaria
-The Tombs of the Patriarchs in Hevron and Samuel’s Tomb near Jerusalem have been expropriated and are being renovated/developed by Israel
-Hundreds of Jewish agricultural farms have been established in Judea and Samaria
-Tons more
Tragically, many were murdered on Oct. 7th and many Israeli soldiers and some hostages were killed during the subsequent combat. With that said, Israel is definitely winning and by a lot. This victory has led to a resurgence of public Jew-hatred throughout the world, however this is simply a public display of what these folks have always privately felt. Nothing to get all worked up over. As a great Rabbi once said: “It is better to win than to lose. For 2,000 years we were losers. Today we are winners.” Some people are having a hard time adjusting to the new reality, that is their problem. Many American Jews in the northeast have a Jew-hater as a mayor, they should consider relocating.
Finally, it was revealed this week by former Biden Administration official Brett McGurk that Hamas had no intention of freeing the Israeli hostages. What led to the breakthroughs in the negotiations were the massive successes of the IDF on the ground in Gaza. With the help of the Trump Administration, the IDF freed the hostages and conquered as much of Gaza as they were allowed to by the Israeli Government. They are undoubtedly ready to conquer more if called upon to do so. Hundreds of IDF soldiers were killed throughout the campaign to free the hostages and defeat Hamas. They are heroes who will never be forgotten. Everyone will forget the evil Gazans, sooner or later.
Elections
Now that the Jewish holidays have concluded and with about 3 weeks to go until the voting, it’s full on election campaign season in Israel. Despite this, there’s not so much actual campaigning going on. It reminds very much of the Biden-Trump (stolen) election. Lead left-wing contender Gabi Eisenkoett has gone mostly silent to avoid saying stupid things/what he actually thinks - just like Biden, minus the credible medical excuse. What remains is the left-wing Israeli media seeking to blame Prime Minister Netanyahu and his allies for anything they can think of - from the attempted hijacking of the airplane from Dubai to the price of gasoline and everything in between. No mail-in ballots in Israel, so it will be tough for them to cheat at the ballot.
The most interesting and likely important component of the election remains the “Amcha Yisrael” party led by General Ofer Winter. His party continues to hover around the electoral threshold in the polls. He has stated that if elected he plans to obligate more Haredim to draft to the IDF but also that he is willing to sit in a coalition with the Haredi parties. Can these two things be reconciled and will his party get enough votes to actually enter the Knesset could be the decisive factor as to who forms the next Israeli governing coalition.
It must be pointed out that if, as a result of the upcoming elections, no one is able to form a coalition government then the current government would continue - possibly the best option of all!
The Region
-The Houthis and Saudis/allies continue to fight it out in Yemen. The Saudis struck back this week and reconquered areas that had recently been captured by the Houthis.
-The US pulled all military forces out of Iraq after 23 years! Just prior to the withdrawal, the various Kurdish para-military forces united together as part of an effort to protect northern Iraq and possibly to strike Iran.
-Iran continues to disrupt global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and to foment conflict throughout the region. President Trump continues to promise that it will all be over soon with Iran’s complete defeat. GI Joe vs. Cobra, in real life.
Hope Remains
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter publicized this week that his seriously wounded son, Neria Dov ben Chana, had begun to breathe on his own. He is still in a coma and has suffered severe head injuries, but real hope for his recovery remains.
Amazing Success
As mentioned before, there have been a huge amount of national successes for the Jewish People since Oct. 7th. A very significant one just happened recently: A farm has been established off of Highway 60 (“The Biblical Route”) adjacent to the hostile Arab village of Awarta, near Shechem. The farm is in close physical proximity to the traditional grave of Elazar Ben Aharon HaCohen, as well as to those of his brother Itamar and his son Pinchas. Jews now have continuous access to the site, as opposed to previously only a few times of year. The tomb of Elazar has been restored and the area cleansed. This is an incredible accomplishment for the Jewish People and specifically for the specific Jewish heroes who made it happen. This could certainly lead to more such victories in the near future. “As Rabbi Tarfon famously taught: Time is short, there is a massive amount of work to accomplish, the laborers are sluggish, the payoff is huge, and the Boss is demanding results.” (Pirket Avos 2:15). Thankfully, post Oct. 7th, the “laborers” are far from sluggish!
-Ben Packer
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