Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-05-13 at 17:02

HEADLINES
Turkey PKK talks stall amid Iran war
Israel Lebanon talks third round generals
Early elections loom as Knesset dissolution advances

The time is now 5:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, Turkey’s Kurdish peace process falters as Iran war complicates negotiations. Just two weeks after Turkey's parliament made recommendations on how to advance the country's peace process with Kurdish militants, the Iran war broke out, plunging the Middle East into fresh instability and bringing new doubts on both sides. Ankara has warned of the risk of new Kurdish mobilizations in Iran and Iraq and, according to a government official, helped quash a short-lived US-Israeli idea to back a Kurdish ground invasion of Iran from Iraq. Since then, Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party have dug in to watch the fallout of the war, each refusing to move next and stalling efforts to end the four-decade conflict. The government appears reluctant to enact legislative reforms, including a potential amnesty for former PKK fighters, and to give the group's jailed leader an official role in the peace process. Ankara says the PKK must fully disarm first. The World Food Programme said on Wednesday it had halved emergency food assistance in Syria due to funding shortages, warning that millions remained vulnerable despite signs of stabilization in parts of the country. The United States, the WFP’s biggest donor, has slashed its foreign aid, and other countries have also reduced development and humanitarian assistance. The WFP said that the number of people receiving emergency food aid in Syria fell to 650,000 in May from 1.3 million, while operations in all 14 governorates were scaled back to seven. In total, 7.2 million people in Syria remain acutely food insecure, including 1.6 million facing severe hunger. The reduction in aid is described by WFP’s Syria country director Marianne Ward as driven by funding constraints, not a decrease in needs, and the program also halted a bread subsidy that had supported more than 300 bakeries with fortified wheat flour, affecting access to subsidized bread.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Third round of Israel-Lebanon talks to take place with military officials, sources tell 'Post'. The third round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will open in Washington on Thursday, and for the first time, military representatives will participate. The talks will be held at the State Department, coming just before the expiration of the three-week ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon announced by the Trump administration. The Lebanese delegation will be led by former ambassador to the United States Simon Karam, with current ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad and Lebanon’s military attaché in Washington also taking part. The Israeli delegation will be led by Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, and will include a representative from the National Security Council, Brigadier-General Amichai Levin of the IDF, and the acting Israeli military attaché in Washington. An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that the talks aim to discuss a framework for an agreement in greater depth. Representing the American side will be US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Michael Needham, an adviser to Marco Rubio, and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa. The Trump administration is pressing Lebanon to take a significant step toward a broader agreement as these discussions proceed.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Coalition submits bill to dissolve Knesset, vote expected next week. Coalition whip Ofir Katz submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset with the full backing of coalition faction leaders, after the opposition brought a similar bill amid the crisis in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition over the haredi draft bill. The proposal would have the election date set during discussions in the Knesset House Committee, and the bill to dissolve is expected to be brought for a vote next week on Wednesday. The move could lead to early elections before October, as the haredi faction Degel Hatorah pressed to dissolve over disagreements on the draft bill. The opposition had also proposed dispersing the Knesset. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett praised the possibility, calling it the only good thing this government has done for the people, and said Likud has become the executive arm of the government. Herzog warns Israel’s greatest internal threat is growing division at ‘Time to Talk’ conference. A national conference dedicated to repairing Israeli society opened in Jerusalem, as President Isaac Herzog warned that division had become the country’s most urgent internal threat. He described the initiative as a movement to promote mutual recognition, mutual respect, dialogue, listening, and a shared Israeli tomorrow, part of Herzog’s broader effort to rebuild trust, strengthen social cohesion, and shift discourse from crisis toward repair ahead of Israel’s 80th anniversary. The conference, titled Time to Talk | Building Together, is part of the President’s Initiatives for a Shared Israeli Future and seeks to encourage dialogue among institutions, civil society groups, and social leaders to foster a more united civic fabric.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Sarah Lawrence student senate rejects J Street U chapter after fierce backlash. Jewish students at Sarah Lawrence College say they faced fierce resistance after attempting to establish a campus chapter of J Street U, the college arm of the liberal pro-Israel group. When the students applied to the student government to formalize the club, the decision was met with strong opposition, and the final vote rejected the J Street U application, marking the first time a campus chapter has been turned down. Supporters pointed to concerns about campus political dynamics, while opponents compared recognizing the group to approving a white supremacist organization.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Jewish Republican Paul Singer tarred with rainbow Star of David in Kentucky candidate’s anti-LGBTQ ad. A political ad tied to Kentucky’s GOP congressional primary portrays Paul Singer, a Jewish donor to Republican causes, with a rainbow Star of David overlaid on a Pride flag alongside imagery of drag queens and Pride symbols. The spot portrays Singer as a prominent pro-LGBT activist allied with far-left Democrats, and notes Hold the Line PAC as the funder. Singer is described as Jewish, with a son who is gay, a detail cited by critics who say the ad perpetuates antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish influence over LGBTQ advocacy.

Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.

SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-896114
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-896106
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-896111
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-896113
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-896112
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-896115
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-896108