NEWS SHORTS, ISRAEL

Sunday 13 September 2026

NEWS SHORTS

LIFE AND NEWS NOTES

· Federal Court rules there is no constitutional right to safe drinking water (Capital B, 9/13/26).

· Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia (AP, 9/13/26).

· Yemen hits back against Houthis as Saudi shutdown limits oil flow (NBC, 9/13/26).

· Saudi Arabia has few options as it faces mounting threats from Iran and its allies (AP, 9/12/26).

· Saudi’s shut down oil pipeline (9/12/26, Reuters).

· U.S. doctor treats Ebola’s youngest victims (NPR, 9/10/26). In the Democatic Republic of the Congo there are at least 6,800 confirmed cases and more than 3,300 deaths since May. For this particular strain there is no approved antiviral medication or vaccine.

· Vance is pitching himself as Trump’s political heir at Republican midterm fund raiser (The Guardian, 9/12/26).

ISRAEL

There is outrage about the Haaretz reporting that Netanyahu was warned about the October7attacks (The Observer, 9/13/26).

· Families of former hostages are outraged about the information that Netanyahu was warned ten days before massacre. One family member affected compared it to an earthquake.

· While some think this could defeat Netanyahu at the polls next month, there is no hope that his opponents will end occupation in the West Bank (the UK announced sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank where attacks are becoming more frequent).

· However, after the Haaretz story broke, the opposition announced that the first thing it would do is establish an independent commission of inquiry into security failures. Netanyahu has resisted public demands for an inquiry.

· Netanyahu has threatened to sue Haaretz and calls the story a “wicked fabrication.”

· This month marks Netanyahu’s 19^th year in office. He is Israeli’s longest-serving prime minister.

· Netanyahu views himself as fighting the security services, which he sees as trying to bring him down.