Alon Ben David - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Alon Ben David

Alon Ben David is an Israeli television and print journalist. He has been covering Israeli military affairs for more than 25 years for Israeli and international media outlets and is currently senior defense correspondent for Israel Channel 10 and Middle East correspondent for Aviation Week. On Twitter: @alonbd

Palestinian policemen loyal to Hamas inspect the scene after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City April 30, 2013. An Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian and wounded another in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medics said, in the first targeted attack against militants since a ceasefire ended an eight-day war in November. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTXZ4BM

Hamas Enforces Quiet Border With Israel

Alon Ben David

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (R) and his Israeli counterpart Moshe Yaalon (L) look out of the window during a helicopter tour of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights April 22, 2013. Israel suggested on Monday it would be patient before taking any military action against Iran's nuclear programme, saying during a visit by Hagel there was still time for other options. REUTERS/Jim Watson/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY TRAVEL) - RTXYVU8

Did Israel Ambush the US on Syria?

Alon Ben David

A triathlete runs out of the Red Sea during the Elite Men's Triathlon ETU European Championships in the southern Israeli city of Eilat April 21, 2012. Picture taken April 21, 2012. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL - Tags: SPORT TRIATHLON TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3BK4J

Rocket Attack Could Shake Israel-Egypt Security Ties

Alon Ben David

Sculptures are seen on a hill near the Israeli Syrian border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights March 24, 2013. Israel said it fired into Syria on Sunday and destroyed a machinegun position in the Golan Heights from where shots had been fired at Israeli soldiers in a further spillover of the Syrian civil war along a tense front. Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXXW5G

Israel and Muslim Brotherhood Face the Same Enemy

Alon Ben David

Israeli army Chief of staff Moshe Yaalon stands in front of a fighter jet at Natzarym air base in this handout photo. Outgoing Israeli army Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon stands in front a fighter jet at the Natzarym air base in Israel May 23, 2005 in this handout photo released by the Israeli Defence Force press office. REUTERS/IDF/Handout - RTRC6I8

New Israeli Defense Minister Seeks Leaner, Smarter Force

Alon Ben David

Members of the Iranian delegation, led by Supreme National Security Council Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili (3rd L), sit at a table during talks in Almaty February 26, 2013. World powers began talks with Iran on its nuclear programme in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Tuesday, in a fresh attempt to resolve a decade-old standoff that threatens the Middle East with a new war. REUTERS/Ilyas Omarov/Pool (KAZAKHSTAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTR3EAS0

World Powers Blinked First In Iran Nuclear Talks

Alon Ben David

North Korean soldiers attend a rally celebrating the country's third nuclear test at the Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang February 14, 2013 in this picture taken and released by the North's official KCNA news agency. North Korea conducted nuclear test on Tuesday. Korean characters read,"(We) celebrate ardently success of the third underground nuclear test!". REUTERS/KCNA (NORTH KOREA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY

Israel Fears North Korea to Become Nuclear Supplier of Middle East

Alon Ben David

Jordan's King Abdullah (R) and Jordanian Chief of Staff General Mashal Mohammad Zaben attend "Eager Lion" military exercises at the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border, 260 km (162 miles) south of Amman, May 24, 2012. The U.S. Army special operations forces are leading 12,000 troops from 18 countries during "Eager Lion" exercises.REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed(JORDAN - Tags: MILITARY ROYALS) - RTR32L1G

Israel Concerned For Jordan's Stability

Alon Ben David

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men walk behind Israeli soldiers at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City February 22, 2012. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has always been a 'Jewish' army. Its rations are kosher, its chaplains are rabbis, and it operates - with the exception of wartime - around the festival calendar. It has never drafted soldiers from Israel's 20-percent Arab minority. But its Jewish identity has always been more cultural than religious. IDF personnel data suggests

Can the IDF Absorb The Ultra-Orthodox?

Alon Ben David

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws a red line on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. The red line he drew represents a point where he believes, the international community should tell Iran that they will not be allowed to pass without intervention. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38I7P

Israel Must Invest to Deter Iran

Alon Ben David

Outgoing Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi (C) waves to soldiers as he leaves after a handover ceremony in which he was replaced by the new Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz (L) at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv February 14, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)

Defense Chiefs Distrust Israeli Political Leadership

Alon Ben David

An Israeli air force F15-E fighter jet takes off for a mission over the Gaza Strip, from the Tel Nof air base in central Israel November 19, 2012. Israel bombed dozens of targets in Gaza on Monday and said that while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end Palestinian rocket fire from the enclave. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY)

Israel Deputy Chief of Staff Favors Air Power

Alon Ben David