Channel 14 News Israel

Category: Israel

  • Trump Hits Top ICC Judges With Sanctions Over Israel Probes

    Trump Hits Top ICC Judges With Sanctions Over Israel Probes

    The United States imposed sanctions Tuesday on Tomoko Akane, the Japanese judge serving as president of the International Criminal Court, and Judge Abdoulaye Seye, who led an investigation into activities in Judea and Samaria, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. The United States, which is not a member of the ICC, is continuing its campaign against the international court.

    The International Court of Justice in The Hague, archive | Photo: Reuters

    Last year, the United States imposed targeted sanctions on several senior ICC officials, including prosecutors and judges, citing the court’s arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as its previous investigation into American forces in Afghanistan.

    The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets held by the designated individuals and effectively cut them off from the American financial system, with which virtually all major international banks maintain extensive ties. The Treasury Department also issued a general license permitting the wind-down and termination of transactions involving Akane through September 17.

     US Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Photo: Shutterstock

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the Trump administration would intensify efforts against the ICC, including through a diplomatic campaign aimed at persuading other countries to withdraw from the institution. Rubio argued that the court poses a threat to American personnel implementing Trump’s immigration policies or carrying out strikes against boats suspected of drug trafficking, as well as to other members of the U.S. military.

  • Poll: Netanyahu Dominates PM, Bennett-Lapid Party Crashes

    Poll: Netanyahu Dominates PM, Bennett-Lapid Party Crashes

    A new C14 poll released Tuesday evening paints a dramatically reshaped political landscape following the Likud primaries, with the right-wing bloc strengthening to a solid 63-seat majority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud remains firmly in first place as Israel’s largest party with 32 seats, down one from the previous poll. Meanwhile, the left-wing bloc falls by two seats to 46, while the Arab parties receive a combined 11 seats.

    New 2026 Poll Results

    In the full breakdown, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party comes in second with 24 seats, gaining one from last week. Shas follows with 10 seats, while the Democrats receive nine. Otzma Yehudit posts a significant gain, climbing two seats to eight. Yisrael Beytenu falls to seven seats, tying United Torah Judaism. The Religious Zionist Party remains steady at six seats, unchanged from last week.

    Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party suffers a dramatic collapse, falling to just six seats and moving dangerously close to the electoral threshold. Among the Arab parties, Ra’am receives six seats, up one from last week, while Hadash-Ta’al receives five. Below the electoral threshold are Balad at 2.1%, Zionist Home Reservists at 1.2%, Zehut at 1.1%, Ofer Winter at 0.9%, Blue and White at 0.4%, and Gilad Erdan at 0.1%.

    New 2026 Poll Results

    When voters were asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Netanyahu scored a commanding victory with 55% support, leaving his nearest rival, Eisenkot, far behind at 35%. Bennett received just 6%, Avigdor Lieberman 3%, and Benny Gantz only 1%. In a direct head-to-head matchup between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, Netanyahu again leads, 55% to 45%.

    New 2026 Poll Results

    The poll was conducted via NEXT DATA with participation from 636 adults from the general population on August 18, 2026. Data analysis: Shlomo Filber.

  • U.S. Eyes Moving Gulf Troops to Israel as Iran Threat Grows

    U.S. Eyes Moving Gulf Troops to Israel as Iran Threat Grows

    Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), supports reducing American forces in the Persian Gulf after the war and shifting some troops westward, as reported by the Washington Post. His position came up in Pentagon discussions about potentially cutting forces in the region following the war and after numerous bases in the area were hit. According to the report, the discussions amount to “preliminary planning,” and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not yet formally ordered the matter to be considered.

     Photo: Shutterstock

    Officials in Washington are calling for substantial forces to be moved from Gulf states to bases in Israel. The report noted, however, that the proposal has sparked disagreement. Some officials reportedly fear that a significantly expanded American presence in Israel could create counterintelligence vulnerabilities amid what The Washington Post described as growing Pentagon concerns over Israeli espionage activity.

    The discussions come as President Donald Trump has sharply escalated his rhetoric toward Iran, recently posting a map depicting the Strait of Hormuz as “America’s New Territory.” Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs responded to Trump’s post on X, calling the president’s view of the Strait a “delusion” that would soon be corrected. The potential reshuffling of American forces therefore comes at a particularly volatile moment, as Washington weighs how to position its military across the Middle East while its confrontation with Tehran continues to intensify.

  • Israeli Couple and Baby Rescued from Dangerous Jericho Trip

    Israeli Couple and Baby Rescued from Dangerous Jericho Trip

    An Israeli couple and their approximately one-year-old baby were rescued from Jericho on Tuesday after allegedly entering Area A, under the control of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority, to go shopping, according to the investigation. Law enforcement officials acted to locate and successfully extract the family after receiving a report that they had entered the area.

    The couple, Jerusalem residents in their 30s and 40s, entered Jericho with their infant son despite Israeli law prohibiting Israelis from entering Area A. Police instructed and guided the family out of Jericho. Upon leaving the city, both adults were detained and questioned under caution at the Jordan Valley police station.

    The incident follows a series of similar cases. Less than a year ago, as previously reported, a mother and her young daughter were found wandering through central Bethlehem, which is also designated Area A. An investigation found that their entry was not accidental but deliberate—despite Israeli authorities repeatedly warning that entering areas under ‘Palestinian’ Authority control is prohibited by law and can endanger Israeli lives.

  • Israel Strikes Syria, Warns al-Julani: You Are Not Assad

    Israel Strikes Syria, Warns al-Julani: You Are Not Assad

    A senior Israeli official spoke with American network Fox News about strikes carried out by Israeli forces in Syria overnight Monday into Tuesday, saying the operation followed the receipt of sensitive and classified intelligence that was shared with the highest levels of the U.S. government before the strikes. The official added that the strikes made al-Julani understand that he would not be able to behave like the previous Syrian regime.

    Tartus Province | Photo: Shutterstock

    The Israeli strikes targeted the Tartus Governorate in northwestern Syria, along the Mediterranean coast. According to Arab media reports, the targets included a Syrian Air Force military base, with strikes directed at runways and storage facilities. U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Lebanon Tom Barrack condemned the attack.

    The timing of the Israeli strikes is particularly significant, coming just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and al-Julani agreed on the return of a Russian military presence to Syria—specifically in Tartus, the same province targeted by Israel. The development represents a significant step for Putin that could reshape Russia’s military presence in the region.

    Al-Julani and Putin | Photo: Social Media

    Russia’s military presence in Syria declined significantly following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The former Syrian president relied heavily on Putin’s military, while Russia’s war in Ukraine and Putin’s focus on his own battlefield have been cited as factors contributing to Assad’s eventual overthrow by rebel forces.

    Al-Julani, however, did not hold Putin’s support for Assad against him and even traveled to Moscow to meet the Russian leader. The new Syrian leader asked Putin to extradite Assad, who is living in Moscow, but Putin refused. Since then, the two leaders have met several more times, including most recently in January, when they discussed military and economic matters.

  • Jerusalem Terrorist Convicted: ‘Wanted to Be a Martyr’

    Jerusalem Terrorist Convicted: ‘Wanted to Be a Martyr’

    The Jerusalem District Court unanimously convicted terrorist Adnan Qaria on Tuesday of attempted murder as an act of terrorism and possession of a knife, nearly two years after he attempted to stab an IDF soldier to death on Sayeret Duchifat Street in Jerusalem in December 2024.

    The verdict described how Qaria “drove his vehicle, spotted the soldier Y.G. walking alone in uniform down the sidewalk, made a U-turn and stopped on the side of the road. He exited his vehicle armed with a knife with a blade approximately 13 centimeters long.”

    Knife, illustration | Credit: Shutterstock

    “The defendant ran toward the soldier with the knife raised above his shoulder in a stabbing motion and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar,’ ‘I will stab you,’ and ‘You will die today,’” the ruling stated. The soldier backed away, cocked his weapon and ordered Qaria in both Arabic and Hebrew to stop and get on the ground. Qaria briefly moved back toward his vehicle before turning and advancing toward the soldier again. The soldier then fired a warning shot into the air. When Qaria continued advancing, the soldier fired several rounds and neutralized him.

    Qaria later claimed that he had acted out of “mental distress and despair.” According to the ruling, he maintained that he had shouted at the soldier to “shoot me in the head” and had not intended to harm anyone. However, according to the conviction, during his second police interrogation Qaria explicitly admitted that he wanted to kill a Jewish soldier for nationalist-ideological reasons in order to become a “martyr,” acknowledging that the version he had previously given was false. The court rejected the defense’s claim that the confession had been coerced, finding that Qaria gave it freely and voluntarily.

  • Cohen: Arab States Plot to Topple Netanyahu, Israeli Right

    Cohen: Arab States Plot to Topple Netanyahu, Israeli Right

    Arab affairs analyst Dr. Edy Cohen addressed what he described as a campaign across the Arab world against the Likud Party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an interview Tuesday on Yoman Tzohorayim. “They want to bring down the Right,” Cohen said.

    Cohen began by addressing the Likud candidate primaries held Monday. “Likud voters determined the list. Some are disappointed and some less so, but we need to think about the day after the Likud Party primaries,” he said.

    Netanyahu voting in the 2026 primaries | Photo: Haim Goldberg, Flash 90

    According to Cohen, however, the significance extends beyond Israeli domestic politics and into the Arab world. “Unfortunately, Arab states have launched a campaign against the prime minister and against Likud,” he claimed. “They want to bring down the prime minister—not to bring him down personally or Likud for its own sake,” Cohen continued.

    He argued that those behind the campaign believe removing Netanyahu could set off a political chain reaction inside Israel. “In Arab countries, they think they can create a domino effect: If they bring down the prime minister, Likud will collapse. If they crush Likud, they will crush the Right—and that already leads the country toward the Left and toward a ‘Palestinian’ state,” Cohen explained.

  • Monkey Rescued from Illegal Captivity in Jericho

    Monkey Rescued from Illegal Captivity in Jericho

    A green vervet monkey was found and rescued overnight from a cage in a home in Jericho after authorities received information that it was being held illegally. The monkey was transferred to Israel Nature and Parks Authority inspectors and then to the Israeli Primate Sanctuary.

    Photo: Police spokesperson

    The search was carried out under a court order by officers from the Bik’a police station in the Gilad district, Israel Nature and Parks Authority inspectors, the Civil Administration’s nature reserves officer, and IDF soldiers from the Bik’a Valley’s Lavi Battalion. The operation was conducted with assistance from the Jericho DCO and intelligence guidance from the David district in the Jerusalem region and the Gilad district in the Judea and Samaria region.

    During the operation, a woman in her 30s from Ramla was arrested and questioned by the Nature and Parks Authority. She was released under restrictive conditions and will be summoned for further questioning on suspicion of trafficking, hunting, and illegal possession of a protected wild animal.

    Photo: Police spokesperson

    Police, the IDF, and the Nature and Parks Authority said they will continue working together to crack down on trafficking in protected wild animals while ensuring public safety and animal welfare.

  • IDF Kills Terrorist Who Raided Be’eri, Kidnapped Israeli

    IDF Kills Terrorist Who Raided Be’eri, Kidnapped Israeli

    The IDF announced it eliminated Tariq Anwar Hamis Ra’i, a company commander in the ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad terror group, in a strike in Khan Younis. According to the military, the terrorist raided Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7 massacre and took part in kidnapping an Israeli civilian.

    The strike was carried out on Sunday in the Khan Younis area. The IDF said Ra’i had recently been advancing terror plots against IDF forces and Israeli civilians, and that his elimination was meant to remove the threat.

    The military added that IDF forces under Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue operating to remove any immediate threat.

  • M16 Rifle, Ammo and 100K Shekels in Cash Seized Near Nablus

    M16 Rifle, Ammo and 100K Shekels in Cash Seized Near Nablus

    An M16 rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, 11 magazines and more than 100,000 shekels (~$34,000) in cash were seized during a search in recent days at a home in the village of Qalil, near Shechem [Nablus]. Two local residents were arrested and taken for questioning at the Ariel police station.

    Over 100,000 shekels seized | Photo: Shutterstock

    The operation was carried out following intelligence received by the Judea and Samaria District Police. Officers from the Ariel station in the Samaria region directed IDF forces from the Samaria Brigade to the house where the weapons were believed to be held. During the search, forces found the M16 rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and 11 magazines. Alongside the weapons, they also discovered more than 100,000 shekels in cash, which was seized as part of the operation.

    Photo: Shutterstock

    The two suspects, residents of the village, were arrested on the spot and transferred for further questioning at the Ariel station. The investigation is examining the source of the weapons, ammunition, and cash, the circumstances of their possession, and their possible connection to criminal or security-related activity.