Settlements

Marco Longari / AFP via Getty Images

France denies entry for Israeli settler leader: What to know

The head of Israel's Samaria Regional Council settler organization claims that France turned him back at the Paris airport.

Yousef Jabareen, leader of Israel's Arab-led Joint List political alliance (C-L), and other members cheer at the alliance's campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth on Oct. 27, 2026.

Explainer

How Israel’s Arab parties could help oust Netanyahu after election gains

Arab citizens came out in record numbers for the Oct. 27 elections, with turnout reaching 80% — even higher than the national rate of 77%.

JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images

Feature

50,000 Israeli expats fly home to vote in potential boon to Netanyahu rivals

Israel prohibits voting from abroad with limited exceptions, and Israelis who spoke to Al-Monitor said they are especially motivated to fly home this year.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

The British Consulate General in east Jerusalem represents the British government in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza during a protest against the recently announced British sanctions, aimed at economic activity in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, on Sept. 14, 2026, in Jerusalem.

Explainer

Israel-UK relations hit new low over settlements, Gaza: What to know

Despite Britain’s ban on goods from Israeli settlements and Israel’s closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem, both countries are seeking to keep communication channels open.

Latest News

West Bank olive harvest begins amid settler attacks on Palestinians, groves

Palestinian men sitting in and by a tractor look on after another man was injured by gunfire whilst being chased away by Israeli forces, in Aqraba in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Oct. 6, 2026.

West Bank settlers attack Israeli activists as Netanyahu claims 'hoax'

Erik Marmor/Getty Images

Katz warns PA against 'Oct. 7-style' attack as West Bank violence rises

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 2025.

Analysis

As Israeli settler attacks mount, Trump avoids public pressure on Netanyahu

Israeli soldiers arrive in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has faced escalating Israeli settler violence over the past month, on Aug. 29, 2026.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

In Israel, German foreign minister expresses concern over annexation plan

On a short visit to Israel, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed concern over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s annexation plan and called upon the government to return to the two-state solution.

A view shows Palestinian houses in the village of Wadi Fukin as the Jewish settlement of Beitar Illit is seen in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 23, 2019. Picture taken June 23, 2019. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC1985B332A0

Report: Some Jewish parts of West Bank to be excluded from annexation

The latest Israeli media reports on annexation further deepen the rift between Israeli settlers and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement overlooking the Israeli settlement of Har Homa, located in an area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the region's capture in the 1967 Middle East war, February 20, 2020. Debbie Hill/Pool via REUTERS - RC2E4F9ALPB6

Netanyahu’s dilemma over his annexation plan

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must now decide whether he wants to go ahead with his annexation plan, or hope that the White House will get him out of it.

Jordan Valley Palestinians watch as Israel imposes authority ahead of looming annexation

Israel has intensified its measures in West Bank areas facing the threat of annexation at a time when Palestinians feel the imminence of the annexation project more than ever.

Israel’s new government promises Bedouins fast internet

Israel’s new Communication Minister Yoaz Hendel is determined to offer Bedouin villages technological solutions for fast internet connection.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES - 2018/09/25: Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States, at the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) 2018 Iran Summit in New York City. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Emirati ambassador: West Bank annexation will make region ‘unstable’

The United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States Yousef Al-Otaiba discussed Israel's annexation plans on Al-Monitor's podcast following criticisms by another Emirati diplomat.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi during a gathering of foreign ministers aligned toward the defeat of Islamic State at the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1400997050

Intel: Pompeo discusses Syria with Jordan’s foreign minister

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed Syria today on a phone call with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement before entering the district court room where he is facing a trial for alleged corruption crimes, in Jerusalem May 24 2020. Yonatan Sindel/Pool via REUTERS - RC21VG97J050

Netanyahu says Palestinians must ‘consent’ to Israeli security control

The Israeli prime minister also discussed Palestinian citizenship and his critics on the right in an interview with Israel Hayom.

A view shows the Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit in the background and the Israeli barrier in the foreground in the village of Bilin, where a Friday anti-Israel weekly protest is held, as the area is seen empty of Palestinian demonstrators amid concerns of the spread of the coronavirus disease, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC2PNF9HQOZQ

Settlers argue over Netanyahu’s annexation plan

Much to everyone’s surprise, there is growing opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's annexation plan among the settlers’ leadership.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 19, 2020. Alaa Badarneh/Pool via REUTERS - RC2WRG9N14TF

Palestinian leaders' confused messaging over next steps with Israel

Some say President Mahmoud Abbas' announcement that the Palestinian Authority is ending agreements with Israel is nothing but a leap in the dark, while PA officials stress that the decision represents the beginning of a new phase.

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the 11th Democratic candidates debate of the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, held in CNN's Washington studios without an audience because of the global coronavirus pandemic, in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - HP1EG3G050BEO

Intel: Biden warns against West Bank annexation as Israel lobbies Trump for green light

Former Vice President Joe Biden told campaign donors today that any Israeli annexation of the West Bank would “choke off any hope for peace,” according to a transcript of the presumptive Democratic nominee’s remarks seen by Al-Monitor.

Jordan's King Abdullah warns of 'massive conflict' if Israel annexes West Bank

The king stopped short of saying he would cancel Jordan's peace treaty with Israel in an interview with German media.