Israel - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Israel cover image

Israel

July 17, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:44 am

31°C

US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Wisconsin Air National Guard facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on July 8, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Vance says Israeli intelligence had ties to Epstein: What to know

Vice President JD Vance has grown more critical of Israel, possibly in an effort to capitalize on changing views among voters with an eye on the 2028 presidential election.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cornerstone laying ceremony for the Atarot Heritage Center at an abandon airport in East Jerusalem near the separation wall with the Israeli occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on July 5, 2026.

Israeli PM Netanyahu 'will not travel' to US next week, his office says

On Wednesday, an Israeli official had told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu was planning to travel on Saturday and meet with President Donald Trump next week and attend the memorial service for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 13: Lebanese people wave flags and hold portraits of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (not pictured) as he arrives in southern suberb of Beirut on October 13, 2010 in Lebanon. The controversial visit is seen as a boost for key ally Hezbollah. According to reports Mr Ahmadinejad may visit the border with Israel - the site of recent deadly clashes between Israeli and Lebanese forces. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)

Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know

The former president, who was a virulent critic of Israel while in office, was reportedly part of a Mossad plan to replace the current Iranian leadership.

Latest News

Analysis

As Trump prioritizes Hormuz, Israel fears Iran rebuilding nuclear program while preserving ballistic missile threat

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

Explainer

Israel's next election: Who's leading in polls and what's at stake?

Israelis turn out to cast their ballots on election day for the 20th Knesset on March 17, 2015 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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

Alan Dershowitz arrives at the Manhattan Federal Court in New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Jefferson Siegel - RC16F55E4430

Trump defender Dershowitz signs on as lobbyist for Israeli billionaire accused of looting Africa

The civil liberties lawyer is close to both US and Israeli leaders.

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks at a Democratic Party fundraising dinner, the Liberty and Justice Celebration, in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. November 1, 2019. REUTERS/Eric Thayer - RC17AFBA9C70

Will 2020 candidates' calls to condition Israeli military aid spark public debate?

The calls of Democrats Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to condition US security aid to Israel on changes of policy could alienate the Israeli public but could also trigger a useful public debate and even revingorate Israel's security industry.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett gestures as he delivers a statement to members of the media, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem November 19, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1DC3C46DA0

Israel's Bennett becoming principal actor again

The recent rapprochement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New Right senior leader Naftali Bennett is turning Bennett once again into a principal political actor.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem January 27, 2019. Abir Sultan/Pool via REUTERS - RC12B7408000

Hamas, Gaza on agenda of Israel’s coalition talks

New Right senior Naftali Bennett has toned down his statements on the Gaza Strip over the past few days; he is interested in becoming the defense minister in a future Netanyahu government.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi gestures during a joint news conference with German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in Amman, Jordan, August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC1A8F383900

Jordan willing to escalate to get back its citizens detained by Israel

Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv in protest against the ongoing administrative detention of two of its nationals, threatening to take further escalatory steps.

Israel 2019, at the mercy of the Chief Rabbinate

The Haifa rabbinical court decided to take children out of their mother's custody, because the mother was not keeping a religious lifestyle.

Interview

Saudi Arabia still awaiting signs of ‘goodwill’ from Iran

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud talks about the "dramatic effect" of the September attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, and says there will be no official Saudi contacts with Israel until the Palestinian issue is resolved.

Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud

Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud

Former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers killed in the 1973 Middle East War at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem October 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC164B9F1A90

As indictment deadline approaches, Netanyahu panics

The perfect storm is approaching: Not only will Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit decide soon whether or not to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leaks from police questioning of Yair Netanyahu make the picture even darker.

PSAGOT, WEST BANK - JULY 24: Evangelical Christian volunteers harvest Chardonnay grapes for Psagot Winery in a vineyard on July 24, 2017 in the Israeli settlement of Psagot in the West Bank. In a trend that started in recent years, Israeli wineries have begun to harvest earlier in the season, a move winemakers attribute to record-hitting hot summer months causing their grapes to ripen sooner. Some wineries harvest at night in order to preserve the freshness of the grapes while others harvest at dawn and rus

Top Netanyahu donors’ West Bank winery seeks Trump’s help fighting EU

The Psagot winery has hired a former US ambassador to the EU to lobby against “settlement” labeling regulations.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas casts his vote for municipal elections at a polling station in Al-Bireh, next to the West Bank city of Ramallah, October 20, 2012. REUTERS/Abbas Momami/Pool (WEST BANK - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - GM1E8AK1G8301

Abbas conditions PA elections on polling stations in Jerusalem

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made East Jerusalem polling stations a requirement for elections for the Palestinian Parliament.

Netanyahu’s Israel: Safe-haven for criminals

Israel’s ill repute for political corruption has an additional aspect: Capitalizing on their Jewish origins, criminals from other countries are finding a safe haven in Israel from law enforcement authorities abroad who prefer these criminals remain in Israel.

How to protect judges who would preside in Netanyahu case

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been loudly claiming that the police, the state prosecution and the attorney general have been persecuting him; he likely would try to undermine and even attack his judges if and when brought to trial.