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August 9, 2026

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Analysis

As pro-Palestinian candidates gain ground, will AIPAC's influence wane?

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s influence has weakened in the Democratic Party and may also be at risk among Republicans.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Hussein FALEH / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As US rethinks regional presence, Israel shifts focus to destabilizing Iran

Uncertain how to interpret the American regional redeployment, Israel is focusing on efforts to destabilize the Iranian regime and stop its nuclear program.

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

Israeli battle tanks deploy in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah (Eastern Zawtar) in southern Lebanon as pictured from the nearby village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah (Western Zawtar) on August 2, 2026. Under a US-sponsored agreement signed in June, Lebanon's army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from "pilot zones" where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy. The deal came more than three months after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East with rocket fire at Israel in suppo

Israel-Lebanon talks suspended amid escalation, set to resume Thursday

The Israeli delegation asked the American representatives to suspend the direct talks with Lebanon for a few hours over alleged leaks by Beirut.

Latest News

Analysis

Netanyahu’s Gaza double game: Back Trump, reassure Israel’s right

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

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

What to know about Lebanon-Israel 7th round of talks held in Rome

Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Lacking leverage over Trump, Israel stays quiet on US-Iran talks

US President Donald Trump (C) is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport on Oct. 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

Gas deployed by the Israeli army gushes out of a hole in a tunnel, which was used by Hamas militants in an attack on July 21, during an operation to search for tunnels dug by the Palestinian militants, just outside the Gaza Strip July 22, 2014. Israel pounded targets across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, saying no ceasefire was near as top U.S. and U.N. diplomats pursued talks on halting fighting that has claimed more than 600 lives.With the conflict entering its third week, the Palestinian death toll rose to 6

Tunnel intelligence failure a wake-up call for Israel

The magnitude of the Hamas tunnel network was not correctly assessed by the military and caught Israel by surprise, after which the Security Cabinet approved the ground operation, wishing the international community understood Israel's need to eradicate this threat.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, March 10, 2014. Lavrov told Putin on Monday that Russia's position on Ukraine was at odds with the West, and that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had declined an invitation to visit Russia for further talks. At a meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Lavrov described being handed proposals by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry which "did not completely satisfy us

Moscow treads lightly in Gaza

Though Moscow undoubtedly disapproves of Israel’s harsh actions in Gaza, it's being careful not to take an anti-Israel stance.

Arab-Israelis and Israeli left wing activists wave Palestinian flags as they protest against the Israeli offensive on Gaza, in the northern city of Haifa July 19, 2014. Israeli forces on Saturday pressed ahead with a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian militants kept firing rockets deep into Israel's heartland, pushing the death toll past 300 in almost two weeks of conflict. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3ZCZH

The fine line between freedom of speech and treason in Israel

When voices flood Israelis from the full ideological spectrum — the radical left, the Arab Israelis, the incitement of the extreme right — the boundaries of free speech in a democracy need to be defined at times of war.

An Israeli soldier carries the flag-draped coffin of his fallen comrade Natan Cohen, killed during fighting in Gaza on Tuesday, during his funeral in Modi'in, a town between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, July 23, 2014. Gaza fighting raged on Wednesday, displacing thousands more Palestinians in the battered territory as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said efforts to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas had made some progress. Israel launched its offensive on July 8 to halt rocket salvoes by Hamas and its al

Israeli rumor mill replaces official information

In an interview with Al-Monitor, professor Aviad Kleinberg explains why Israelis tend to spread rumors through social networks as "a way of expressing distrust toward the authorities."

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR1TTSE

Ayatollah Khamenei calls for armed struggle in West Bank

Iran's supreme leader has said that the Israeli and Palestinian people should hold a referendum to decide their fate and that until that happens, the West Bank should begin an armed struggle like Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to reporters after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah July 23, 2014. Israeli forces pounded Gaza on Wednesday, meeting stiff resistance from Hamas Islamists and sending thousands of residents fleeing, as Kerry said on his visit to Israel ceasefire talks had made some progress. Israel launched its offensive on July 8 to halt missile salvoes by Hamas and its allies, struggling under the weight of an Israeli-Egyptian economic

New moves by Saudi Arabia, Qatar signal drive for cease-fire

Regional capitals are seeing intense diplomatic activity, while regional powers and Washington agree on the need to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible.

Members of the Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas movement take part in a parade marking the fifth anniversary of the three-week offensive Israel launched in 2008-2009, in Gaza City January 13, 2014. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - RTX17CGS

Hamas, the first Palestinian army

Israel did not rightly assess Hamas’ military abilities and must henceforth stop considering it as terror cells, like the other Gaza Strip groups, but as an army that it should aspire to bring down.

Gazans crowd schools in search of shelter

Gaza's civilians have nowhere to hide from Israeli strikes, causing over 100,000 residents to flee to UNRWA centers.

A Thai labourer works in a watermelon field near the southern Israeli town of Sderot March 3, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: AGRICULTURE) - RTR2JEIS

Migrant workers forced to remain in Israeli fields as rockets fall

Thai field workers in the south of Israel are left in the open as farmers fail to provide portable shelters.

A Palestinian boy walks past the remains of a house which witnesses said was destoyed by an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City July 23, 2014. Israeli forces pounded the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, sending thousands of residents fleeing, and said it was meeting stiff resistance from Hamas Islamists, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Tel Aviv to push ceasefire talks. Israel launched its offensive on July 8 to halt missile salvoes by Hamas Islamists, who were struggling under the weight of an Israeli-Eg

Iran’s Reformist papers accused of lackluster Gaza coverage

Conservative media outlets in Iran have attacked Reformist news organizations for failing to report on the conflict in Gaza, prompting the editors to defend their coverage.

An Israeli Apache helicopter fires a missile towards the Gaza Strip July 22, 2014. Israel pounded targets across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, saying no ceasefire was near as top U.S. and United Nations diplomats pursued talks on halting the fighting that has claimed more than 600 lives. With the conflict entering its third week, the Palestinian death toll rose to 616, including nearly 100 children and many other civilians, Gaza health officials said. Israel's casualties also mounted, with the military announc

Israel's legal framework for Gaza strikes

Declaring Gaza a "belligerent, entity sui generis" has informed Israel’s strategy in the conflict.

A woman runs for shelter in a nearby office building as an air raid siren, warning of incoming rockets, sounds in a main street in Tel Aviv July 11, 2014. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday Israel has attacked more than 1,000 targets during a four-day-old offensive against Gaza militants and that "there are still more to go". REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3Y7ZM

Israel strives to face Hamas terror tactics

Unlike Israel, which has warned Palestinian civilians to leave fighting zones, Hamas spent enormous resources building terror tunnels but neglected to build any shelters to defend the Gaza population.