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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 25, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:52 pm

25°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

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with White House senior advisor Jared Kushner in the West Bank City of Ramallah June 21, 2017. Thaer Ghanaim/PPO/Handout via REUTERS - RTS183ES

Kushner's first foray into Mideast peace reveals challenges ahead

Palestinians accuse the US negotiating team that met with President Mahmoud Abbas June 22 of taking Israel's side, by not discussing the two-state solution or Israeli settlement activities.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende (C) is welcomed by Palestinians as he visits houses, which witnesses said were destroyed or damaged during the seven-week Israeli offensive, in the east of Gaza City September 8, 2014 . REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR45D38

Israel wields influence to block foreign funding to Palestinian NGOs

Apparently at Israel's request, some Palestinian nongovernmental organizations are losing their financial support from abroad over allegations of their links to terrorism.

Heavy machinery work on a field as they begin construction work of Amichai, a new settlement which will house some 300 Jewish settlers evicted in February from the illegal West Bank settlement of Amona, in the West Bank June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTS17UHK

Palestinians despair as Israel breaks ground on new settlement

Despite UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and US President Donald Trump's efforts to resume the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israel has approved plans to develop its first new settlement area in 25 years.

A protester holds a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest against reducing power supply to Gaza, near the border with Israel in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTS17WD5

Palestinians wary of talk Gaza may be declared 'rebel district'

The poor living conditions and security situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could further deteriorate if Palesinian President Mahmoud Abbas declares Gaza a "rebel district."

Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman speaks at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle - RTSZCHS

Israeli defense minister accuses Abbas of pushing Israel-Hamas war

To destroy Hamas rule, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pushes it into a confrontation with Israel.

Jason Greenblatt (L), U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Ministerís Office in Jerusalem March 13, 2017. Picture taken March 13, 2017. Courtesy Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY - RTX319TT

Netanyahu ready to meet Abbas, but not to negotiate

While the Palestinians hope that President Donald Trump will deliver a realistic negotiations process on a two-state solution, the Israeli side is determined to jeopardize such a process.

A picture taken on May 24, 2017 shows the Chief of the Israeli police, Commissioner Roni Alsheikh (C) during the Jerusalem Day march in Jerusalem.
Alsheikh is the former deputy chief of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). / AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel's police chief sidelining democratic values

The Israel Police under the leadership of Chief Roni Alsheich seems to be losing its guiding principles, instead protecting police officers from citizens rather than protecting the citizens and the values of democracy.

A Palestinian boy holds a crossed-out poster depicting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a protest against the blockade on Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip May 2, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTS14RPX

Gaza residents abandoned by Hamas, Abbas and Israel

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu share the shameful responsibility of leaving innocent Gaza residents practically without electricity.

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani gestures during a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (not pictured) in Erbil, Iraq April 20, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTS1348S

The reason Tehran is against referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan

Iranian leaders and media have expressed strong opposition to the September referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan.

A demonstrator holds a picture of Eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar during a protest against the Italian government, which according to the protest organizers, supports the Bonyan Marsous forces that are mainly fighters from the city of Misrata, in Benghazi, Libya, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori - RTSYBAT

Gazans denounce claims Hamas is training extremists in Libya

Accusations by the spokesman of the forces of retired Maj. Gen. Khalifa Hifter that Hamas has provided technical support to some armed groups in Libya are rebutted and mocked by Palestinians amid a lack of evidence of Hamas’ involvement in the North African country.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with White House senior advisor Jared Kushner in the West Bank City of Ramallah June 21, 2017. Thaer Ghanaim/PPO/Handout via REUTERS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS183EO

Kushner bolsters Trump Middle East peace push

By dispatching his son-in-law, the president has made it clear to both sides that he’s serious about wanting a deal. But will that be enough?

A picture taken on June 10, 2017 shows a general view of the entrance of a UN school at the al-Maghazi refugee camp, located in the centre of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has denied that it or any other militant group built a tunnel under two UN schools in Gaza after its discovery drew a strong UN protest. On June 1, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) found "part of a tunnel that passes under two adjacent agency schools in the Maghazi camp" during construction work, spokes

UNRWA, Hamas deny connection to Gaza tunnels

The discovery of two tunnels under UNRWA-run schools in the Gaza Strip elicited denials from Hamas, the prime suspect in their construction.