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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 15, 2026

Tel Aviv 3:07 pm

33°C

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Weeks before key Israeli elections, a dozen nations announced new trade restrictions targeting settlements in the West Bank, delivering a sharp rebuke to Israel's government that could presage additional international pressure.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Erik Marmor

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Facing the popular Gadi Eisenkot, the Together party of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is sinking in Israeli opinion polls.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli strikes that targeted the hilltops of the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge on Aug. 14, 2026.

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in Ali al-Taher ridge: What to know

The ridge has become a flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon due to its extensive tunnel network Israel says is utilized by the Iran-backed group.

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

Latest News

Analysis

Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies

TOPSHOT - Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

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

12 countries including France, UK, Canada end trade with West Bank settlements

West Bank settlements

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.

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hugs U.S. President Donald Trump as they talk during meetings at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC15FD644460

Netanyahu faces coalition tightrope

Benjamin Netanyahu needs to form a coalition that will not harm his relationship with President Donald Trump, but also one that will protect him in case he is indicted.

Netanyahu needs to cut deal with Hamas now

Since Avigdor Liberman won’t allow a Gaza arrangement on his watch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to wrap up a deal before offering Liberman the defense minister position.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) speaks during a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer - RC1FD9326580

Frustrated Democrats go on offense after Netanyahu win

Democrats are racing to salvage the prospect of Palestinian statehood after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a fifth term with promises to annex the West Bank.

IRGC terror designation: Trump's election gift to Netanyahu

The US president's decision to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization could allow Israel to better justify action against the group in Syria.

Why was Arab voter turnout so low in Israel’s elections?

Palestinian voter turnout in Israeli elections is dropping, as is the number of Arab representatives in the Knesset.

Israeli water pipeline threatens Palestinian agricultural lands

The residents of Qalqilya governorate in the West Bank are seeking to block construction of a water pipeline to supply Israeli settlements.

Likud's election day dirty tricks

The day after Knesset elections, a public relations firm that worked for the Likud revealed the party's “secret plan” to deter Israeli Arabs from voting.

Why Netanyahu won big outside of Israel’s major cities

The election results showed clearly that, contrary to the Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Blue and White party does not have a foothold in Israel’s outlying towns.

Benny Gantz, head of Blue and White party, huddles with his party candidates Yair Lapid, Moshe Yaalon and Gaby Ashkenazi, following the announcement of exit polls in Israel's parliamentary election at the party headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC11ADB5E0C0

Is Blue and White strong enough for life in opposition?

The election results have relegated the Blue and White Party, a team created solely to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the opposition benches.

Palestinians reclaim their land through outdoor sports

In an attempt to reclaim Palestinian land, several groups are organizing hiking trips in the West Bank, with most of the trails located in Area C under Israeli military control.

Israel fans flames separating Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank

Recent statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are feeding suspicions between Hamas and Fatah and widening the divisions between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Blue and White ignored Israeli Arab vote at own peril

The Blue and White list shunned the Arab electorate, lost their vote and as a result will now have to sit in the opposition.