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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 29, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:17 am

27°C

Ronen Bar, former chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency

Ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to sue Netanyahu over Oct. 7 accusations: What to know

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of withholding information in the hours before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but the former security chief rejected the claim, saying he intends to file a defamation suit.

Israeli PM

On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings

During his trip to Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Mohamed bin Zayed to deny reports that he had been warned ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that Hamas was preparing a major assault.

A general view of the damaged building housing Tigray TV, the state broadcaster of the Tigray region, following a drone strike in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Sept. 27, 2026.

20 Israelis stranded in Ethiopia seek evacuation as fighting resumes: What to know

Twenty Israeli tourists are asking the Foreign Ministry to arrange their evacuation from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where fighting resumed on Tuesday.

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Can Netanyahu turn Israel's UN isolation into strength at home?

The absence of a Trump meeting would have been awkward for Netanyahu, who has long portrayed himself to Israeli voters as uniquely close to the US president.

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

Latest News

Delegates walk out as Netanyahu touts Iran war, slams Qatar and Turkey at UN

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu waves to delegates leaving before his UN speech

Israel election committee bars two Arab lists from upcoming vote: What to know

Leader of the Arab Israeli party Ra'am (United Arab List) Mansour Abbas (R) and Israeli politician Yoav Segalovitz (L) attend a news conference in Nazareth on August 31, 2026. Abbas announced that Segalovitz, an Israeli Jew, will join his party for the upcoming Israeli elections. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

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

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

Gargash

United Arab Emirates

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

World Jewish body cautiously welcomes Iran outreach, but says words not enough

The World Jewish Congress praised Hassan Rouhani's words of tolerance on the Jewish New Year, but noted that words must be followed by "concrete actions."

Diners go for shelter inside a restaurant 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) - RTR3Y7ZJ

Gaza keeps Israelis glued to the television

The war with Gaza has changed Israelis into a people who follow the combat and TV news nonstop, while spending sleepless nights of anguish and days of low economic productivity.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attends an education conference in Holon near Tel Aviv, August 27, 2007. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) - RTR1T5EN

Why Israel's blockade of Gaza was a mistake

Israel's long-standing Gaza blockade policy, which did not bring Hamas down but only provoked it to further arm itself, should be reassessed.

An Israeli soldier stands atop an armoured vehicle at a staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip July 31, 2014. Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive saying it was days from achieving its core goal of destroying all Islamist guerrilla cross-border attack tunnels, but a soaring Palestinian civilian toll has triggered international alarm. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR40QWU

Israel still looking for a victory in Gaza

Hamas has turned the tables on Israel by approaching the latest conflict as a war for its very existence.

Turkey's Twitter "spies"

The political war between the Erdogan government and the Gülen Movement has a propaganda aspect, with each side seeing the other as the proxy of a detested enemy.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C), stands next to Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah, (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as they make statements to reporters during their meeting regarding a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Paris July 26, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR407J4

Kerry’s draft cease-fire a rookie mistake

US Secretary of State John Kerry got himself stuck in the Middle Eastern quagmire when he failed to understand that a cease-fire must be accompanied by a comprehensive agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, or else fighting will resume.

A guitar leans on an armoured personnel carrier (APC) that Israeli soldiers are sleeping on top of near the border with Gaza July 30, 2014. Israeli fire killed at least 43 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday as the Jewish state said it targeted Islamist militants at dozens of sites across the coastal enclave, while Egyptian mediators prepared a revised ceasefire proposal. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR40M4J

Against the grain: Israeli group calls for dialogue with Gaza

Members of the Other Voice organization fear the daily rockets from Gaza being fired over their homes, but also worry for the safety of their friends in Gaza, so they have called upon the Israeli leadership to find a long-lasting diplomatic solution.

Members of delegations listen to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas address the 68th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 26, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX140XW

Will 'lawfare' define Palestinian-Israeli conflict?

In the current Gaza conflict, Israel has the military advantage over Hamas in warfare, but the Palestinians might have an edge in "lawfare."

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, September 30, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FG0R

Netanyahu meets Obama amid US Iran diplomatic push

In a meeting between Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Obama and Vice President Biden, the US stressed diplomacy must be exhausted with Iran.

Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, October 1, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHCG

Netanyahu to UN: Keep pressure on Iran

Netanyahu urged the United Nations to keep economic pressure on Iran claiming that while the Islamic Republic will not cross Israel's red line, it is positioning itself to build a nuclear bomb as quickly as possible.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C), speaks with Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu before they make statements to reporters during their meeting regarding a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, in Paris July 26, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR407H7

Israeli officials: United States chose Qatar over us

The Israeli leadership estimates that the cease-fire initiative of US Secretary of State John Kerry responds well to the interests of Qatar, Turkey, Hamas and its own interests with Qatar — but hardly addresses Israel's security needs.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L), Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu take part in discussions regarding a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, at the Turkish ambassador's residence in Paris July 26, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR407S7

Turkey, Qatar seek foothold in Gaza talks

Turkey and Qatar, having alienated regional powers with their support of Hamas, are finding it hard to gain influence in Gaza cease-fire negotiations.