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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 25, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:37 am

22°C

AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Pakistan military chief holds Iran talks, Israel's Netanyahu fears being left out

US President Donald Trump's comment that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would do "whatever I want” is troubling the premier's inner circle ahead of the elections in October.

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

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Ireland joins EU push to ban trade with Israeli settlements amid flotilla backlash

European frustration with Israel intensified this week after a far-right Israeli minister posted a video of the mistreatment of international activists detained in the country.

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Israel targets Turkey charity amid Gaza flotilla tensions

The request, published in Israeli media, marks a further escalation in tensions with Turkey amid disputes over Gaza aid operations.

Latest News

Interview

Ahmad Tibi says Arab parties in Israel can block Netanyahu without joining next government

Arab-Israeli Knesset member Ahmed Tibi takes part in a demonstration against rising crime rates against Arab-Israelis in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 31, 2026.

Ahmad Tibi

Ahmad Tibi

Israeli Arab lawmaker

Syria's Sharaa renews ban on Israeli imports in customs law: What to know

NICOSIA, CYPRUS - APRIL 24: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for an informal meeting of European Union leaders on April 24, 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The EU heads of state and government are meeting over two days to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the effects of high fuel prices, and how Europe may contribute to de-escalation and a peace agreement. (Photo by Byron Smith/Getty Images)

Somaliland's first ambassador to Israel announces embassy in Jerusalem: What to know

Somaliland’s first ambassador to a foreign country formally, Mohamed Hagi, presented his diplomatic credentials in Jerusalem to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on May 18, 2026.

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

A Palestinian youth is detained by an Israeli border police officer during scuffles that erupted after Palestinians held prayers just outside Jerusalem's Old City in protest over the installation of metal detectors placed at an entrance to the Old City's compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount July 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX3BRG6

Netanyahu's rash decision on Temple Mount sparks speculation

Is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu letting the Temple Mount crisis simmer to deflect attention from the scandals swirling around him?

Brine water flows into the Mediterranean Sea after passing through a desalination plant in the coastal city of Hadera May 16, 2010. An Israeli consortium unveiled the world's largest reverse osmosis desalination plant on Sunday in Hadera, hoping to help alleviate the arid country's water shortage. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: ENVIRONMENT POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2DYHU

Israeli-Palestinian water pact raises hopes, suspicions

Israelis and Palestinians have reached a water supply agreement, though some worry such economic deals might become a poor substitute for a true peace settlement.

Palestinians shout slogans during a protest over Israel's new security measures at the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX3C787

PA, Israel security coordination out as Temple Mount crisis continues

Tensions over the current Temple Mount crisis have reached unprecedented levels as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas terminated the enduring security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Israeli soldiers are silhouetted as they search for remains of rockets fired from Lebanon on Sunday, near the northern city of Nahariya December 21, 2015. Israel's military said it fired artillery rounds into southern Lebanon on Sunday in response to rockets fired earlier across the border that struck inside Israel. Three rockets fired from Lebanon had struck northern Israel, causing no damage or injuries, hours after a militant leader in the Lebanese group Hezbollah was reported killed in an air strike in

Next Israel-Hezbollah confrontation could be in Syria

While the cease-fire brokered by the United States, Russia and Jordan seems to be holding for now in southern Syria, it might not last for long given the Israeli-Iranian rivalry in the region.

IDF hopes to reach Palestinian youth directly with new online show

The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories has launched a video magazine to show Palestinians a different side of Israeli society.

Members of the Druze community look at their friends and relatives (R) on the Syrian side of the border, during a rally in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights, which stands at the heart of a long-standing conflict between Israel and Syria, February 14, 2014. Hundreds of members of the Druze community took part in the rally on Friday, marking the 33rd anniversary of Israel's annexation of the strategic plateau which it captured in the 1967 Middle East War. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (POLITICS ANNI

Golan residents renounce Israeli plan to hold local elections

Israel is proposing to hold elections in the Golan Heights for the first time in its 50-year occupation, but since almost none of the locals are eligible to run for office, they want nothing to do with the idea.

The Israeli Labor Party's mysterious new leader

Despite the popularity that got him elected, Labor's new chair, Avi Gabbay, is an enigma in Tel Aviv.

Jason Greenblatt (C), U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, sits next to Tzachi Hanegbi (L), Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation and Mazen Ghoneim, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, during a news conference in Jerusalem July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX3B939

Palestinians, Israelis disappointed over US envoy's talks

The Palestinian leadership believes that much of the Trump administration’s efforts on the Israeli-Palestinian issue are focused on economic confidence-building measures, not advancing the two-state solution.

Palestinians shout slogans during a protest over Israel's new security measures at the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX3C77B

Fatah officials defy Abbas on Temple Mount crisis

With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visiting China, senior Fatah leaders and activists moved to escalate the crisis on the Temple Mount.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reflected in a mirror as he attends a joint declaration with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/Pool - RTX3BO2K

For a two-state solution, Israel must say bye-bye to Bibi

Only if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted and steps down from his position will the two-state solution have a chance at becoming reality.

Israeli border police officers stand guard as Palestinians pray at Lions' Gate, the entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, in protest over Israel's new security measures at the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX3C773

Jordan, Israel trade barbs as tension over Al-Aqsa continues

While Jordan and Israel are keen to preserve the peace treaty and maintain top intelligence and security coordination, the issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque remains a potential deal breaker.

A general view shows the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm August 16, 2016. Picture taken August 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX2N04F

Palestinian town in Israel shaken by Jerusalem killings

The three Palestinian citizens of Israel who were killed by Israeli police following their attack against Al-Aqsa Mosque that left two Israeli soldiers dead hail from a Muslim-majority town where relatives and the community are trying to preserve the relative calm.