Israel in February 2026: the most important developments in society
In February 2026, Israel's policies toward Palestinians drew the most attention from international bodies. A UN report on 26 February accused Israel of seeking 'permanent demographic change' in the West Bank and Gaza and of using water as a weapon in Gaza. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that deepening Israeli control over Palestinian land violates the right to self-determination, and Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the decision to resume land registration in parts of the West Bank. On the ground, reports described settler attacks on villages, the destruction of more than 15 homes and the burning of a mosque during Ramadan. Israel barred the imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque from the compound, limited Friday worshippers there to 10,000 during Ramadan, and designated five Palestinian news outlets as 'terrorist' organizations.
In Gaza, Israel ordered Doctors Without Borders to leave by the end of February, and on 27 February its top court paused a threatened ban on aid groups. World Central Kitchen halted meal distribution because of Israeli restrictions, and a ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza remained in place. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported a record 129 journalists killed worldwide in 2025, most of them by Israel; the Israeli military rejects the finding.
Inside Israel, ultra-Orthodox protests against military conscription disrupted recruitment centers and blocked the entrance to Jerusalem. President Isaac Herzog called violent crime in the Arab community a 'national emergency', and thousands rallied against the government over the October 7 failings and crime. A measles outbreak in Jerusalem reached its 14th death.
Abroad, pro-Palestinian rallies took place in Paris and Sydney, where protests during Herzog's visit turned violent. Dockworkers in Europe struck over arms shipments to Israel, and Scotiabank sold its stake in Elbit Systems. Arab and Muslim states condemned remarks by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee on Israel's 'biblical rights' to the region. On 28 February, after the strikes on Iran, reports conflicted over the status of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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