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May 16, 2026

Tel Aviv 4:38 pm

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Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

The Pentagon will host Israeli and Lebanese military delegations for a round of separate security talks later this month.

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

Just as UAE-Israeli relations were deepening through cooperation against Iran, the Israeli prime minister publicly embarrassed Abu Dhabi by revealing his March visit.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel."

Latest News

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

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

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Rina Bassist

Associate Editor (Israel)

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Abbas strategically times his call for Palestinian elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' announcement before the UN that he will call for elections in Palestinian territories seemed to be an attempt to prevent Hamas and Israel from objecting to the long-awaited voting.

Are Arabs ready to invest in Palestine?

The current political and economic landscape in the Palestinian territories may not favor a conference for Arab investments, which the Palestinian Authority is banking on to boost its economy.

Labourers work in front of electoral campaign posters bearing the portraits of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), leader of the Likud party, and retired Israeli general Benny Gantz (R), one of the leaders of the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) political alliance, in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, on April 3, 2019, ahead of the general election scheduled for April 9. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Likud blames rival over Netanyahu-instigated political crisis

The insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to step down while being investigated by police is at the source of the current crisis; yet he prefers to blame his rival for the political deadlock.

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President Rivlin protects Israel against its own prime minister

The Blue and White party's leadership fails to understand why President Reuven Rivlin is offering a solution for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stay partially in power.

Israel combats Palestinians' West Bank rocket-making

Israel is growing concerned about Palestinian factions’ attempts to manufacture rockets inside the West Bank.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addresses the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC1AE23439C0

Interview

Israel’s UN ambassador says crisis with Iran 'brings us closer' to Arab states

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Danny Danon says Iran is "lying all the way" about its nuclear program — "We proved it to the world.”

Incitement and the poet: Dareen Tatour's legal victory

The Israeli Supreme Court recently declined to review a district court ruling that a poem by Dareen Tatour did not constitute incitement.

Palestinians hope to import Iraqi oil, become more energy independent

Palestinians are inching closer to the possibility of being able to import Iraqi oil to Jordan and have the Jordan refinery convert it to local products that can pass Israeli inspection.

A Palestinian demonstrator holds a United Nations' flag during a rally against a U.S. decision to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and in support of president Mahmoud Abbas, in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC19AEA408D0

Donor countries stand by UN Palestinian refugee agency despite corruption probe

The Trump administration skipped today's pledging conference co-hosted by Jordan and Sweden.

Why Netanyahu’s hearing should be streamed live

Maximum transparency, even such exceptional measures as filming the pre-indictment hearing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could help restore trust in the legal system.

Netanyahu holds Israel hostage

Blue and White party leaders rejected the proposal made by President Reuven Rivlin for power-sharing, as they do not trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep his part of the deal.

Kahlon leak closes path around Deduction Law

Efforts by Israel and the Palestinians to find solutions for alleviating the economic crisis facing the Palestinian Authority had met with some success, but a recent leak meant the end of the road for much-needed additional measures.