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. By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Analysis How Israel opposition infighting is boosting Netanyahu days before election Discord within the opposition, including its reluctance to name a single candidate for prime minister ahead of the Oct. 27 election, is working in Netanyahu’s favor. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
In first, Israel’s Netanyahu says he held call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa It is the first publicly disclosed contact between the leaders of Israel and Syria, which lack formal relations and have fought several wars. Sharaa’s government began US-mediated talks with Israel in 2025. Syria
Sisi says Egypt has no ‘territorial ambitions’ after Israel’s Smotrich threatens Sinai The Egyptian president’s remarks follow a warning from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that Israel would seize the Sinai Peninsula if Egypt attacks. Egypt
Exclusive Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Sacked Israeli defense chief may apologize as Netanyahu meets replacements Israelis are outraged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for speaking up against his judicial reform efforts. By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Israel, UAE sign customs agreement as Emirati president hosts Naftali Bennett Economic cooperation between the the UAE and Israel remains strong and they have now activated their free trade deal, despite heightened Emirati criticism on the Palestinian issue. Legacy: Gulf
US summons Israeli ambassador as law restraining settlers rescinded After condemning anti-Palestinian statements by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the State Department slammed the Israeli government over rolling back parts of the 2005 disengagement law. Israel
Biden losing patience with Netanyahu over judicial overhaul, democratic values After statements by several senior US officials criticizing Israel’s judicial overhaul plan, it was President Joe Biden himself that scolded Benjamin Netanyahu and urged him to forge a compromise in Israel. Israel
In legal repeal, Israel to permit settlers' return to north West Bank outposts Eighteen years after Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank, the Knesset authorized Israelis to return to the four West Bank demolished outposts. Israel
Israel eases Palestinian entry restrictions to Al-Aqsa ahead of Ramadan With the Muslim month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover week holiday overlapping this year, the issue of visits to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound gets more complicated than usual. Israel
Israel's Netanyahu still not 'on the schedule' to visit Biden: White House Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to visit the White House since his election in November. Israel
Islamic Jihad accuses Israel of assassinating leader in Syria The Gaza-based group has accused Israel of killing one of its commanders in Syria after the man was shot dead in front of his home near the capital Damascus. Israel
US-Israeli citizen injured in West Bank as parties meet in Egypt to de-escalate A second Israeli-Palestinian-American-Egyptian-Jordanian meeting took place on Sunday, with all parties pledging to take measures to de-escalate tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank, ahead of Ramadan and Passover. Israel
In Paris, Israel’s Smotrich says Palestinian people don't exist, calls them 'fictitious' Addressing far-right French Jews at a conference, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich dismissed the existence of the Palestinian people, claiming he and his forefathers were the “real Palestinians.” Israel
Hezbollah, Hamas seek to exploit Israel's internal weakness to attack The security incident last Monday near the border with Lebanon worries the IDF, as Hezbollah tries to exploit the ongoing crisis in Israel. Israel
Israelis, Palestinians to meet in Egypt in bid to lower tensions before Ramadan With Ramadan only days away, Israel, the Palestinians, the United States, Egypt and Jordan fear that West Bank tensions could explode. Israel
