News Digest — 9/25/26
“We Have No Other Choice:’ Netanyahu Says Israel Will Continue To Fight For Survival
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s military campaigns against Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah before the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday (24th), rejecting accusations of genocide in Gaza and accusing Western governments, Turkey, Qatar and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani of spreading lies about Israel.
Netanyahu framed Israel’s war over the past three years as part of a continuing struggle for the survival of the Jewish state, repeatedly returning to the phrase, “We have no other choice.”
He said striking Iran’s nuclear facilities was “one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as prime minister,” arguing that Israel had prevented a nuclear threat to Israel and other countries. He praised President Donald Trump for his partnership against Iran and said American and Israeli pilots had flown joint missions over the country.
Netanyahu linked the current conflict to the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1976 Entebbe rescue mission, recalling his brother Yoni Netanyahu’s words before the 1967 war: “We’re going to win. We have no other choice.”
Turning to Oct. 7, 2023, Netanyahu described the Hamas-led attack as “the darkest day in Israel’s history” and said that Israel subsequently fought a seven-front war against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, armed groups in Iraq, militias in Syria, and Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria.
He also rejected international criticism over settler violence, while condemning vigilantism on the part of a small minority of Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, and highlighted recent Palestinian attacks that killed Natanel Sukrun and critically wounded Neria Leiter, who is fighting for his life in a Jerusalem hospital.
Netanyahu called international accusations of Genocide in Gaza “the greatest lie of the century,” saying Israel had warned civilians to leave combat zones and facilitated food and polio vaccinations while Hamas used civilians as human shields.
He described mainstream media and social media as the “eighth front” in the war, accusing Qatar and Turkey of spreading anti-Israel messages.
Netanyahu also attacked Erdogan and Mamdani, accusing the New York Mayor of contributing to an atmosphere in which Jews feel unsafe.
Turning again to Iran, Netanyahu predicted its government would eventually fall. “One day, and it may not be far away, the Iranian people will be free,” he said.
Netanyahu closed by invoking more than 3,000 years of Jewish history and again claiming that Israel would continue fighting and “continue to win” because “we have no other choice.”
Israeli Weapons Are Top-Notch, I Support Israel’s Right To Defense, Latvian Defense Minister Tells Post
Israel’s weapons are top-notch, and it has a right to self-defense Latvian Defense Minister Raivis Melnis told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview on Thursday (24th).
Due to the Russian-Ukraine war, Latvia currently faces the threat of drones spilling into its territory.
This visit, against the backdrop of the upcoming elections in both Israel and Latvia, carries considerable weight. According to Israeli defense sources, Melnis stated during the visit that Latvia is open not only to dialogue, but also to action.
During the visit Melnis met with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Director-General Amir Baram, and top Israeli defense industry companies such as Rafael, Elbit, and Israel Aerospace Industries.
Melnis told the Post that Latvia is looking into “loitering systems and air defense systems” among their defense products.
One system that Latvia is exploring is Iron Dome, which is effective against drones and could be used to defend against drones from Russia. Meanwhile, Latvia has opted for a mutual collective European air defense structure.
Latvia is also exploring the possibility of implementing anti-ballistic missile systems.
There have been reports that Israeli systems, other than the Arrow, can shoot down certain kinds of ballistic missiles – and that they’re cheaper than the Arrow. If they exist, this affordable alternative may appeal to smaller countries like Latvia.
Melnis said they had “initiated those discussions, but we need to move fast. There is strong intent, and it would be very positive to get certain air defense systems.”
“We hope we will get these systems soon,” he noted. “Israeli systems are battle-proven. They are very high-end systems that have shown reliability during three years of war. Israeli companies provide systems for defending Israel, but also have the capacity to produce for different foreign partners. Israel has developed a really strong military industry.”
Melnis was asked if “moving fast” meant three to five years, which is remarkedly shorter than the 10 years most defense systems take to develop. He responded: “I hope it will take much less time than three years from the decision to the delivery. I hope for a much shorter time.”
Next, he was asked if he had met with Israeli officials to obtain cyber defense products, as cyberattacks are worsening worldwide. According to Melnis, obtaining cyber defense products was not on the list of goals for this specific visit, “but our experts are looking at different additional new technologies to improve cyber capabilities.”
Melnis focused on discussing purchases of “loitering munitions [kamikaze drones], artillery, and radar systems.” He said that some of Israel’s products have yet to be matched. Because of this, Melnis said he would send additional Latvian military experts to learn more. Moreover, he said he wanted to “learn from Israel’s experience about how to protect borders, including from drones, missiles, proxy forces, and in cyberspace.
He reaffirmed that “Israeli advice and guidance, based on its battle experience, was very unique.”
Melnis said he told Katz that the only two countries that have wide-ranging battlefield experience are Israel and Ukraine. He added that Israel’s experience in this arena went back decades, beyond the last three years of war.
In addition, Melnis said the visit has “a political perspective. Our president and other officials have visited Israel. This deepens our political cooperation. We strongly support Israel’s right to self-defense.”
He added: “We condemn Iranian attacks on Israel and support Israel’s defense of its country and its people. Iran is an enemy not just for Israel, but also for the region, and for our friends in Ukraine, where Iran is supporting Russia.”
Despite the NAZA film harming Israel’s reputation across the globe,Melnis said that he wanted to “show solidarity – it is an honor to be here.” He noted that he has not seen the film.
While the EU is boycotting Israel’s settlements, Latvia wants to expand economic cooperation and friendship with Israel. Melnis’ visit follows two previous visits to Israel by the head of Latvia’s Procurement Department.
In recent years, according to foreign sources, Latvia has purchased Israeli arms and cyber ware in several deals. These include Rafael’s Spike missiles, worth around 200 million euros; Elbit’s UT30 Turret system; and several contracts reportedly worth more than 600,000 euros, intended to buy Cellebrite’s phone-hacking equipment and software.
I’m from Gaza. We Must Dismantle The Extremist Ideas Fueling The Violence – Moumen al-Natour
Before Oct. 7, a Hamas minister delivered daily sermons at his local mosque. He continuously preached about the beauty and blessings of war, insisting that “there is no peace with the Jews.” This scenario was replicated across Gaza’s more than 1,000 mosques; sermon scripts were drafted by the Hanas-run Ministry of Endowments and distributed to preachers before they took the pulpit.
Dismantling the infrastructure of radicalism and countering ideological mobilization in mosques and schools is no less vital than disarmament. In fact, it is the fundamental prerequisite for ensuring that violence does not reignite the moment the rubble is cleared.
For decades, the educational and religious systems were exploited to steer collective consciousness exclusively toward armed conflict. Thus, an urgent need has emerged to restore the mosque’s original role as a place of worship and a hub for enlightened thought, promoting values of tolerance and coexistence.
Disarming Hamas without ridding educational and religious institutions of their radical ideas will keep the door to conflict wide open. Gaza’s future will be determined inside classrooms and atop pulpits, where a consciousness is forged that will either repeat past mistakes or lay the foundation for a generation committed to peace, development, and investment in the future.
The writer is a Palestinian lawyer, co-founder of the We Want to Live movement in Gaza, and a former political prisoner held by Hamas. (Jewish Chronicle-UK)
Gaza Children Go Back To School, But What Are They Being Taught? – Herb Keinon
Reuters ran a story Monday (21st) under the headline, “Gaza students return to in-person schooling, for the first time in three years.” The most troubling omission in the article is its complete silence about what is being taught in these reopened schools, who is doing the teaching, and who is deciding what goes into the curriculum.
For the hundreds of thousands of children returning to school to have a better future than the one Hamas has condemned them to, rebuilding the same educational system, using the same textbooks, employing the same teachers, and transmitting the same messages would simply rebuild the ideological foundations for the next Oct. 7. Whoever educates the children shapes the future.
For Gaza ever to have a chance, it must free itself from an educational culture that demonizes Jews, denies Israel’s legitimacy, and presents violence and “martyrdom” as heroic. Gaza needs terror-free schools that teach tolerance. It needs textbooks that do not erase Israel, teachers who are not affiliated with terrorist organizations, and classrooms where children are taught how to build a future rather than sacrifice themselves trying to destroy someone else’s.
Hamas can lose its tunnels, rockets and weapons yet retain enormous influence if it continues to educate the next generation according to the worldview that produced Oct. 7. Gaza’s children are returning to a school system that has not undergone any fundamental ideological transformation since Oct. 7. This will not give them – or Gaza a different future. (Jerusalem Post)
IDF Chief At INS Drakon Induction: ‘We remain Vigilant And Prepared’
IDF Chief of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir on Thursday (24th) hailed the induction of the INS Drakon submarine as one of the IDF’s most significant force-building projects, saying the new vessel will strengthen Israel’s ability to operate covertly and at long range.
Speaking at the submarine induction ceremony, Zamir said the event comes as Israel approaches three years of prolonged, multi-front war.
“The ceremony we are holding today is taking place in the midst of a prolonged, complex, challenging multi-front war. In just a few days, it will mark three years,” he said.
Zamir said that during the war, the IDF had carried out operations that fundamentally changed Israel’s security situation, describing the military’s trajectory as one “from defense to proactive” and “from the failure of October 7th to victory across multiple fronts.”
“We acted with determination, precision, and unprecedented strength,” he said. “We fought simultaneously in several arenas, along nearby borders and against distant targets. We severely degraded our enemies’ capabilities and removed existential threats that had been built up against us over many years.”
The Chief of Staff cited the elimination of senior enemy figures, strengthened defenses and deterrence, large numbers of targets struck, the capture and clearing of territory from which invasions on Israel had been planned, and operations deep inside enemy territory.
“All of these are decisive achievements, vital to our future, which will be studied in the history books,” Zamir declared.
At the same time, he warned that Israel’s enemies continue to harbor hostile intentions.
“We have severely degraded our enemies’ capabilities, but their hostile intentions have not changed. We remain vigilant and prepared,”he said. “We will continue to operate in every arena in accordance with operational needs, thwart every threat and strive for decisive victory.”
Zamir specifically addressed Iran and its proxies, saying the IDF continues to closely monitor developments.
The Iranian regime has been battered and weakened, yet has failed to change its intentions, while holding its own people hostage, illegally blocking international shipping routes, and striking energy and national infrastructure belonging to countries throughout the Middle East,” he said.
The Chief of Staff highlighted the Israeli Navy’s role throughout the war, saying its contribution had demonstrated the strategic importance of the maritime arena.
Since the failures surrounding the October 7th massacre, the Navy’s troops and commanders have demonstrated time and again that the sea provides strategic depth and an operational arena that is offensive, decisive, and directly influences the outcome of the operation,” he said.
Zamir said that even as the IDF continues its operations it is simultaneously preparing for future wars under the military’s “Hoshen” multi-year plan, expanding intelligence and strike capabilities and integrating advanced technologies across operational arenas.
“In the face of the growing scale of threats, prolonged and multi-front operations, and the regional and global arms race, we are obligated to expand the IDF’s order of battle, equip it with advanced and innovative platforms, and adapt it to the era of evolving military systems,” he said.
Turning to the INS Drakon, Zamir said its induction was the culmination of 14 years of development and innovation tailored to the needs of the IDF and Navy.
With the submarine’s induction, the Israeli Navy reached an enhanced maritime posture and new heights in its capabilities and operational power: more covert, longer-range, deeper, and stronger,” he said.
According to Zamir, the submarine represents “a vital component” of Israel’s naval force buildup and transforms the Navy into “an additional long-range strategic arm of the IDF.”
The Chief of Staff also emphasized the defense relationship between Israel and Germany. Recalling his tenure as Director General of the Defense Ministry, Zamir cited Israel’s sale of the Arrow missile defense system to Germany as an example of the two countries’ strategic cooperation.
“Technology developed in the state of the Jewish people now protects the skies of Germany, while INS Drakon, which joins the Israeli fleet today – the product of knowledge, trust and joint work – will strengthen the State of Israel’s ability to defend itself for many years to come,” he said.
Zamir thanked Germany’s defense establishment and the shipyard’s employees for their support, particularly during the war.
“At a time when the State of Israel is fighting a prolonged, multi-front operation after being brutally attacked, your steadfast support and our mutual commitment to the security of our countries carry particular significance,” he said.
Zamir opened his speech by recalling a visit by Israel’s first Prime Minister , David Ben-Gurion, to Haifa during the War of Independence, when Ben-Gurion referred in his diary to “our young navy.”
“Imagine how Ben-Gurion would react today, standing before this engineering marvel beside me, with its operational and technological capabilities,” Zamir said.
With Sukkot approaching, the Chief of Staff connected the Navy’s development with the history of the State of Israel.
“From ‘our young navy,’ of which Ben-Gurion wrote, to the induction of the State of Israel’s advanced submarine, we have forged our path – the path of a nation that took its destiny into its own hands and stands ready to defend its home on every front.”
Concluding his remarks, Zamir addressed the members of Shayetet 7 and the crew of the INS Drakon directly.
“You have been given the privilege of serving in a unique capacity that few in the world are capable of undertaking,” he told them. “You are an exceptional and select group, operating deep beneath the sea on covert missions that remain hidden from view.”
“I am proud of you. The people of Israel are proud of you and place their trust in you,” Zamir said.
“I trust responsibility for this submarine to you. Stand guard over our homeland and our safe harbor. Go forth and succeed.”
