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

Israel cover image

Israel

October 2, 2026

Tel Aviv 9:44 am

26°C

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel

If the Trump administration moves forward with the transfer, dozens of groups are urging lawmakers to seek a joint resolution of disapproval.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Erik Marmor/Getty Images

West Bank settlers attack Israeli activists as Netanyahu claims 'hoax'

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attention surrounding settler violence was a “tremendous hoax.”

Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images

Israel-UAE flights disrupted as airlines plan rescue flights: What to know

Israeli carriers are preparing repatriation flights from Dubai starting on Friday, subject to security approval.

United Arab Emirates

MOHAMMED ATTAR/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

FlyDubai incident recalls decades of Middle East airline hijackings: What to know

In 1968, the PFLP hijacked an El Al flight from Rome to Tel Aviv, marking the first political hijacking of an aircraft tied to the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Explainer

FlyDubai incident spotlights key global link for Israeli travelers

Israelis pick up their luggage upon arrival from Tel Aviv to the Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 26, 2020, on the first scheduled commercial flight operated by budget airline flydubai.

Live Updates

FlyDubai flight lands in Tel Aviv after distress alert, Saudi diversion

Flydubai

Exclusive

Inside Netanyahu’s relentless push for meeting with UAE’s MBZ

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after speaking during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 24, 2026.

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

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

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

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

Aryeh Deri (C), leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, attends an annual pilgrimage to the gravesite of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, a Moroccan-born sage and kabbalist also known as the Baba Sali, in the southern town of Netivot January 14, 2013. Powerful political players for years, Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties must now reckon with a new force ushered in by voters bent on stripping them of perks they have relied on for decades. Picture taken January 14, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS

Shas Leader Deri Fails In Municipal Elections

Since his political comeback after 13 years of exile, Shas Party Chairman Aryeh Deri is committing every imaginable mistake, jeopardizing his stand within the party.

An Ultra-Orthodox protester protects himself as Israeli police (not pictured) fire a water cannon to disperse protesters during clashes in the town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem August 14, 2013. Ultra-Orthodox protesters clashed on Wednesday with police and other security forces in the town of Beit Shemesh after a group of them broke into a construction site to prevent work from taking place at the site they believe contains ancient graves. REUTERS/ Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: RELIGION CIVIL UNREST POLITIC

Israeli Municipal Elections Amplify Ultra-Orthodox, Secular Conflict

Municipal elections in Jerusalem and in the declining town of Beit Shemesh testify to the intensity of the cultural war within Israeli society, where ultra-Orthodox and secular clash over Israel's image.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a conference in Tel Aviv University October 29, 2013. A planned release of 26 Palestinian prisoners has provoked feuding within Israel's governing coalition, already under strain from U.S.-brokered peace talks. Jewish Home, led by Naftali Bennett, then tried to get a proposal to freeze further prisoner releases past a ministerial committee, where members Netanyahu's Likud party voted it down on Sunday. REUTERS/ Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX

Israel Weighs Its Options

This week's regional conflicts include sluggish negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, another mysterious strike in Syria and Ayatollah Khamenei's "disappearance."

A Palestinian national team goalkeeper catches the ball during a warm-up before a local friendly soccer match at a stadium in al-Ram, on the edge of Jerusalem October 22, 2008. The Palestinian national team will play its first match on home soil on Sunday when they host Jordan in an international friendly at a new stadium near Jerusalem, the Palestinian FA chairman Jibril Rajoub said. Picture taken October 22, 2008. REUTERS/Fadi Arouri (JERUSALEM) - RTX9UN9

Palestinian Government Boosts Sports As Means of Resistance

The Palestinian government has been cultivating national sports and athletics in a bid to revive patriotism and forge unity.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves to his supporters upon the arrival of released Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in the West Bank city of Ramallah early October 30, 2013. Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday, the second stage of a limited amnesty designed to help U.S.-sponsored peace talks that have been dogged by divisions on both sides. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX14TCR

Hamas Gives No Credit to Abu Mazen For Prisoner Release

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh decided not to broadcast or celebrate the recent prisoner release.

Where Do Babylonian Jewry's Archives Belong?

The archives of Iraq's Jewish community should be returned to Baghdad and serve as the cornerstone for a historic reconciliation between Babylonian Jewry and their homeland.

Iranian military personnel participate in the Velayat-90 war game in unknown location near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran December 30, 2011. REUTERS/Fars News/Hamed Jafarnejad (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR2VQX9

Iran Nuclear Talks Overlook Terror

Progress in the nuclear talks may have taken terrorism off the agenda.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters take part in a demonstration at a construction site in the town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem August 15, 2013. For a third day in a row some 100 ultra-Orthodox men on Thursday clashed with police during protests against ongoing construction at a site they believe contains ancient Jewish graves. An Israeli police spokesperson said 7 ultra-Orthodox protesters were detained on Thursday during the clashes. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL - Tags: BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION RELIGION CIVIL UNRE

Ultra-Orthodox Win Elections In Beit Shemesh Amid Fraud Claims

The secular residents of Beit Shemesh are demanding another round of voting in the recent municipal elections, having lost to the ultra-Orthodox by a narrow margin.

Exiled Iranian Singer Moein Revives Memories of Another Iran

Exiled Iranian singer Moein conquered Washington this week, and with thousands of fans he sang and dreamed of his beloved homeland.

Obama, Kerry, Rihanna Should Rethink Approach to Israel

An open letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, President Barack Obama and Rihanna.

A Palestinian militant stands guard during an anti-Israeli rally organized by Islamic Jihad movement in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip October 24, 2013. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX14MNO

Nationalist Slogans Fade From Palestinian Discourse

Despite the recent attacks on Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, many Palestinians are downplaying their connection to the resistance movement and avoiding nationalist rhetoric.

An ultra-Orthodox youth walks past a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit October 17, 2013. Housing starts in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are up by 70 percent this year, the anti-settlement Peace Now group said on Thursday, despite reports Israel has been quietly delaying new construction. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX14EUM

Creeping Settlements Undermine Peace Negotiations

Israel's expanding settlements have not halted during the negotiations brought about by US Secretary of State John Kerry.