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Israel

September 19, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:03 pm

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on as he attends a trade agreement signature ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 24, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to capitalize on Riyadh's need for intelligence assistance to make normalization headway ahead of the October elections.

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

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

Serbia opens factory to assemble Israeli-made drones: What to know

Serbian President Vucic said the factory will put together “state-of-the-art” Israeli-designed drones and employ around 100 workers.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

Latest News

Culture

Israeli show ‘Fauda’ tops Netflix in Lebanon, hits top 10 across Arab states

ISRAEL-ENTERTAINMENT-TELEVISION-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-MASS-MEDIA-D (L to R) Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, co-creators of the hit Israeli TV show "Fauda", attend a demonstration against the Israeli government's plans to shut-down public broadcaster KAN, in Israel's Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on January 25, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

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

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

At 70, Israel sits atop a volcano

Israel’s army holds a definitive advantage over the rest of the region, but the 70-year-old country is confronted by multiple enemies and points of conflict.

Will Netanyahu's quest to limit high court's authority stifle democracy?

A battle championed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a law prohibiting the Supreme Court from overturning legislation might succeed, despite warnings that it would effectively destroy democracy in Israel.

Israeli border policemen take up position during clashes with Palestinian protesters following a protest marking Nakba Day near Israel's Hawra checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus May 16, 2015. Palestinians marked "Nakba" (Catastrophe) on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion or fleeing of some 700,000 Palestinians from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini - GF10000096946

IDF prepares response to Gaza Nakba Day protests

The Israeli army estimates that Hamas plans to continue with the protests along the Gaza border long after their original deadline of Nakba Day, on May 15.

Battle erupts over Israeli High Court’s independence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about threatening Israel’s democracy by advancing a bill bypassing High Court rulings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas give a press conference following a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black sea resort of Sochi on May 11, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / YURI KOCHETKOV (Photo credit should read YURI KOCHETKOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia seeks to extend role in Mideast peace beyond Syria

Moscow faces many challenges in its efforts to help resolve Palestinian issues, especially as Israel rejects any mediator other than the United States and Egypt continues to be the sole sponsor of intra-Palestinian reconciliation.

IDF falls into Hamas’ trap on Gaza border

It took Israel three weeks to understand what was evident from the beginning: that only restraint could minimize the number of casualties on the Gaza border fence.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) speaks with reporters ahead of the party luncheons on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC13C084AA50

Liberal US Jews recruit Democrats from all sides in anti-Trump fight

Seeking to capitalize on growing partisan backlash to President Donald Trump’s Middle East policies, the liberal Jewish lobbying group J Street has formed a surprising alliance with one of the Senate’s fiercest pro-Israel advocates.

Israeli-Arab party split over US strike on Syria

The Hadash faction within the Israeli-Arab Joint List demonstrated against the American attack on Syrian chemical depots.

Netanyahu compares himself to Israel’s founding father

The text written this week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comparing himself to Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, has no credibility whatsoever.

A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest where Palestinians demand the right to return to their homeland, at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip, April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC151862B9A0

As border protests persist, Abbas steps up pressure on Gaza

Despite the ongoing protests on Gaza's borders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas does not seem to be backing out on his demand for a full handover of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert is seen in the court room as he waits for the judges at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem December 29, 2015. Israel's top court slashed Olmert's prison sentence to 18 months from six years on Tuesday after overturning the main count in his 2014 bribery conviction. Olmert, 70, will begin serving his term on Feb. 15, according to live reports from the Jerusalem courtroom, making him the first former head of government in Israel to go to prison. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool

Disgraced former Israeli PM drums up support for unlikely pardon

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has asked the president to expunge his criminal record so he will be again eligible for political office.

Saudi leadership offers Israel a chance

Open declarations alongside discreet talks indicate that Saudi Arabia is ready to engage with Israel, in parallel with a two-state solution process.