The News You Didn’t Hear About Last Week: Monday, May 18, 2026

By: David Gerstman May 18, 2026

Famously, the slogan “All the News That’s Fit to Print” graces the front page of every New York Times edition. The slogan was coined at the end of the 19th century by the paper’s publisher, Adolph Ochs. Of course, in today’s hyper-globalized world, the slogan is wishful thinking. No paper could realistically cover all the important news stories of the day.

Still, it would be hard to argue that outlets like The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, and others adequately cover even those stories they do print. They often devote precious space to emotive or opinionated claims, while omitting highly material and relevant information that sheds important new light.

Provided below are three important, but underreported, stories from the week bearing on Israel and the Middle East that media consumers should know.

1) President Herzog Returns from Diplomatic Trip to Panama, Costa Rica

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog recently returned from a diplomatic mission to Central America shoring up ties with friendly Latin American nations. He visited both Panama and Costa Rica. At his second stop he attended the inauguration of the new Costa Rican President Laura Fernández Delgado last Friday.

While at the inauguration, Herzog met with foreign leaders including Spain’s King Felipe VI, Chile’s President Jose Antonio Kast, Honduran President Nasry Asfura, Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arévalo, and Dominican President Rodolfo Abinadar Corona.

Kast told Herzog that he was committed to returning Chile’s ambassador to Israel in a few weeks. Kast’s landslide victory this past December, according to the Times of Israel, followed similar electoral victories of Israel-friendly candidates in Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, El Salvador and Ecuador. In these cases, the new incumbent reversed policies of a more hostile predecessor.

Chile would be the latest Latin American country to re-establish diplomatic relations with Israel in recent months. In December, Bolivia reestablished ties with Israel last December, following the election of a pro-Israel leader. After the election of Nasri Asfura in January, Honduras also reestablished diplomatic relations with Israel.

2) ICC Prosecutor Said He Hasn’t Seen Evidence of Genocide in Gaza

Even the scandal-ridden International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan has admitted to the absence of evidence of Israeli “genocide” in Gaza.

During an interview with anti-Israel polemicist Mehdi Hasan, who was attempting to get Khan to accuse Israel of genocide, Khan was forced to acknowledge that the evidence he’s seen doesn’t support the charge. “Everything is a function of evidence,” Khan told Hasan in explaining why he hasn’t issued a warrant for “genocide.”

While Khan didn’t rule out the possibility that the charge could be pursued in the future, his refusal to make the charge flies in the face of NGOs and academics making the claim.

In the interview, Khan also dismissed claims of sexual misconduct, claiming that the charges are political. Khan’s remarks regarding “genocide” are notable given Khan – and state actors trying to protect him – have sought to accuse the alleged (Malaysian Muslim) victim of being an Israeli agent.

While Khan didn’t exonerate Israel, he said that genocide is a charge that shouldn’t be made without evidence. When pressed by Hasan about evidence of genocide, Khan pushed back saying, “It would take a reckless prosecutor to move simply because of clamor. You move based upon evidence.”

3) Gaza Man Submits ICC Claim to Charge Hamas Leader with War Crimes

The Jerusalem Post reported that a Gazan man filed papers with the ICC asking the court to charge 14 Hamas leaders with war crimes. While the ICC has charged both Israel and Hamas with crimes against each other’s populations, this would be the first time the court is being asked to charge Hamas with crimes against its own people by a Palestinian.

The case was filed on behalf of the Gaza man by American attorneys Elliot Malin and Eli Rosenbaum and French attorney Sarah Scialom.

Malin wrote on X that ICC prosecutors “cannot say that they truly care about justice if they continue to ignore the blatant crimes committed against the Palestinian people by Hamas.” The crimes listed by Malin include “the war crime of utilizing the presence of civilians or other protected persons as human shields.”

According to the Post, the man lost his wife, children and other relatives in the war with Israel. The suit claims that Hamas’ crimes led to the death of his family members and others.

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