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August 15, 2026

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An Israeli rescue team arrives in Venezuela after the earthquake in June 2026. Israeli Foreign Ministry

Analysis

Why Venezuela is moving closer to Israel but stopping short of full ties

Israel and Venezuela have practical and strategic reasons for advancing their relations after years of hostility, but establishing full ties faces challenges.

Rina Bassist

Adam Lucente

By Rina Bassist , Adam Lucente

Israeli army vehicles move to a position in southern Lebanon, March 27, 2026.

Analysis

Israel defies Trump on Lebanon as Netanyahu, Katz prioritize elections

Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump face fateful elections this fall, but one needs progress in Lebanon while the other wants more of the same.

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

Latest News

Syria lodges UN complaint against Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan

Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, delivers a speech at the Pichincha Battalion after being sworn in, in Cali, Colombia, on Aug. 7, 2026.

Analysis

Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan while quietly implementing it

lia YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty Images

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

Interview

Israel's deputy FM, Sharren Haskel, bets on a new right after breaking with Netanyahu

Sharren Haskel speaks at an event marking 60 years of diplomatic ties between Germany and Israel hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, Oct. 16, 2025.

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

Model Bar Rafaeli arrives at the amfAR's Milan Fashion Week Gala in Milan September 23, 2011.
REUTERS/Paolo Bona (ITALY - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT FASHION) - RTR2RQUW

IDF: Bar Refaeli May Be a Model, But She's No Model Citizen

It is no mere chance that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is happy to use the services of the Israeli top model Bar Refaeli, while the military establishment calls for boycotting her due to her evasion of military service, writes Michal Aharoni.

U.S. President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at the airport in Amman March 23, 2013. Obama marvelled at the sights of Jordanís ancient city of Petra on Saturday as he wrapped up a four-day Middle East tour by setting aside weighty diplomatic matters and playing tourist for a day. REUTERS/Majed Jaber (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXXUHD

Obama Calls for Peace Talks Without Conditions

Obama called on Palestinians to begin talks with Israel despite settlement activity; Iraq is on edge; and it's unclear if a Kurdish initiative and Netanyahu’s apology represent new trends in Turkish foreign policy.

Israeli forces approach one of six ships bound for Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea May 31, 2010. Israeli marines stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday and 10 pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a profound diplomatic crisis. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (POLITICS CIVIL UNREST IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2ELIM

Turks and Israelis Alike Welcome Reconciliation

The announcement of a historic reconciliation between Turkey and Israel catches Shlomi Eldar in the middle of a family vacation in Antalya.

U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledges the audience after delivering a speech on policy at the Jerusalem Convention Center, March 21, 2013. President Obama, delivering a keynote speech to Israeli students, said on Thursday that continued settlement activity was "counterproductive" to peace and urged Israelis to accept the Palestinians' right to self-determination. REUTERS/Jason Reed (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F9ZN

What Begin Would Have Told Obama

Shlomi Eldar considers what a meeting between former Prime Minister Menachem Begin and current US president Barack Obama would have looked like, being reminded of Begin’s meetings with President Jimmy Carter, which paved the way for a peace agreement with Egypt.

Students listen to U.S. President Barack Obama talk at the Jerusalem Convention Center in Jerusalem, March 21, 2013. President Obama, delivering a keynote speech to Israeli students, said on Thursday that continued settlement activity was "counterproductive" to peace and urged Israelis to accept the Palestinians' right to self-determination. REUTERS/Larry Downing (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS EDUCATION) - RTR3F9ZD

Obama Connects With Israeli Youth

Just as fascinating as the messages Obama conveyed at the Israeli Convention Center in Jerusalem was the way they were received by the young audience, writes Mazal Mualem.

Students listen to U.S. President Barack Obama talk at the Jerusalem Convention Center in Jerusalem, March 21, 2013. President Obama, delivering a keynote speech to Israeli students, said on Thursday that continued settlement activity was "counterproductive" to peace and urged Israelis to accept the Palestinians' right to self-determination. REUTERS/Larry Downing (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F9Z6

Obama in Israel: Worth The Wait

President Barack Obama knew what buttons to push during his visit to Israel, though his real task is not to preach to the converted, as he did in his “Jerusalem speech,” but to convince the skeptics, writes Ben Caspit.

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures during his address to Israeli students at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem March 21, 2013. Obama appealed directly on Thursday to the Israeli people to put themselves in the shoes of stateless Palestinians and recognise that Jewish settlement activity in occupied territory hurts prospects for peace. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FA4M

Obama Makes His Case for Israel To Resume Peace Efforts

President Barack Obama appealed directly to the Israeli people to recognize that settlements in occupied territory hurt peace prospects, Akiva Eldar reports.

A young Bedouin girl is seen near the West Bank city of Jericho August 18, 2008. Threats of evacuation, house demolition, drought, travel restriction, and harassment are just some of the growing hardships the Bedouin community is facing daily, both in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. This is all happening in the midst of a painful social transition between traditional and modern values. In Israel and the West Bank, Bedouins are native to the Negev and Judean Deserts which spans across Israel

Palestinian Bedouin Community Battles Eviction

Palestine’s ancient Bedouin community has been threatened with eviction by Israel, which plans to use their land to expand settlement operations, reports Jihan Abdalla.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (not pictured) at the Muqata presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 21, 2013. Obama said on Thursday that settlement building in the occupied West Bank did not "advance the cause of peace", but stopped short of demanding a construction freeze to enable negotiations to resume. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F9Q2

Why Obama Didn't Leave a Wreath On Arafat’s Grave

Shlomi Eldar responds to Daoud Kuttab’s call to President Barack Obama to leave a wreath on Yasser Arafat’s grave.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (3rd L) and Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon (2nd L) speak during the swearing-in ceremony, at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem March 18, 2013. Netanyahu's new governing coalition took office after a parliamentary vote on Monday with powerful roles reserved for supporters of settlers in occupied territory. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F5XR

Netanyahu Woos Allies on Right For Possible Peace Push

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is giving important jobs to the far-right wing of his party's Knesset members, perhaps to soften them up for diplomatic engagement with the Palestinians, Mazal Mualem suggests.

Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak (L) and his Greek counterpart Dimitris Avramopoulos watch a military parade at the Defence Ministry in Athens January 10, 2012. REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis (GREECE - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2W3DY

Israel-Turkey Strategic Ties Show Signs of Thawing

Jean-Loup Samaan writes that the Israel-Turkey split is not really grounded in substance but rather in the personal ties of their leaders, and that a thaw may be in the works.

Israeli army Chief of staff Moshe Yaalon stands in front of a fighter jet at Natzarym air base in this handout photo. Outgoing Israeli army Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon stands in front a fighter jet at the Natzarym air base in Israel May 23, 2005 in this handout photo released by the Israeli Defence Force press office. REUTERS/IDF/Handout - RTRC6I8

New Israeli Defense Minister Seeks Leaner, Smarter Force

Budget cuts offer the new defense minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon an opportunity to complete the visionary process he began as chief of staff: to shrink the clunky land army and make the IDF more relevant, given the challenges it faces, writes Alon Ben David.