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August 16, 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

Ultra-Orthodox Shas party campaign stickers depicting party leader Aryeh Deri (R) and spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (L), are seen on a car in Jerusalem January 17, 2013. A fixture in successive governments, Shas, the ultra-Orthodox party draws its support from the fast-growing community of religious Jews of Middle Eastern origin whose spiritual leader is the 92-year-old, Iraqi-born rabbi Ovadia Yosef. According to opinion polls, it will maintain its 11 seats in parliament. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSAL

Ultra-Orthodox Parties Not in Netanyahu’s Pocket

Politicians from the ultra-Orthodox Shas and Kadima center parties might be joining forces to create a bloc against Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu in advance of the elections next week, writes Akiva Eldar.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waves after attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the mausoleum of late Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi November 10, 2012. Ahmadinejad is in Hanoi on a two-day visit to Vietnam from November 9 to 10. REUTERS/Kham (VIETNAM - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)

Will Israel Miss Ahmadinejad?

Nadav Eyal discusses whether Israel will benefit from a new Iranian president, who is likely to be just as committed to Iran's nuclear program and perhaps an even more formidable adversary.

Embarrassment at Israeli President Shimon Peres' house

Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream, explains to interviewer Shlomi Eldar why he challenged the rules of official protocol at the president's house, and protested on behalf of his Palestinian employees who were searched like criminal suspects before meeting the president.

Volunteers harvest Chardonnay grapes at Ferency family's vineyard near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Bat Ayin, south of Bethlehem August 20, 2012. Established in 1993, Ferency's winery produces some 6,500 bottles of kosher wine a year using organically grown grapes. REUTERS/Nir Elias (WEST BANK - Tags: FOOD AGRICULTURE)

EU Trade Sustains Israeli Settlements in West Bank

Despite the EU's outspoken criticism of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, imports from settlements are actually entrenching their existence, Dalia Hatuqa reports from the West Bank.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds up a paper inscribed with his party's initials during a Likud-Yisrael Beitenu campaign rally in the southern city of Ashdod January 16, 2013. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, allied with the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, continues to lead opinion polls ahead of Israel's Jan. 22 parliamentary election. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Bibi’s Choice After Election Will Set Course for Israel

Assuming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes out on top in next week’s elections, his choice about who to include in the governing coalition will affect Israel for years to come, writes Shai Feldman.

A Palestinian stone-throwing protester uses a sling to throw back a tear gas canister fired by Israeli security officers (rear) during clashes after a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah, January 4, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Israeli Security Sources Anticipate Third Intifada

As the deadlock in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians persists, the signs of a popular uprising in the West Bank can already be sensed, writes Reuven Pedatzur.

Reality TV Breaks Barriers Between Israeli Jews and Arabs

Television reality shows have become the only meeting point between Jewish and Arab Israelis, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Palestinians walk past a blast wall with graffiti in the West Bank city of Hebron January 13, 2013. Entrenched in what they view as their Biblical heartland, the hardline Jewish settlers of Hebron look forward with delight to next week's Israeli election. Picture taken January 13, 2013. To match ISRAEL-ELECTION/SETTLERS REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Palestinians Lose Hope, Interest in Israeli Elections

Daoud Kuttab analyzes the apathy among Palestinians about the upcoming Israeli elections.

Palestinians wave flags during a rally marking the U.N. General Assembly's upgrading of the Palestinians' status from "observer entity" to "non-member state", in the West Bank city of Ramallah December 2, 2012. Israel said on Sunday it was withholding this month's transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, after the United Nations' de facto recognition of a Palestinian state. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Israeli Occupation Causes Palestinian Identity Crisis

Israeli occupation and colonization is not only stripping Palestinians of their land, but their identity too, Rana Baker writes.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi (front) sits before testifying at a state-appointed inquiry into the Israeli naval raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, in Jerusalem, August 11, 2010. Ashkenazi acknowledged on Wednesday that his troops were not ready for the violent resistance encountered when they boarded the Gaza-bound aid ship and ended up killing nine pro-Palestinian activists. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)

Political Agenda Seeps Into Israeli Army's Top Brass

There is an effort afoot by right-wing activists in the national religious camp to influence the top Israeli military leadership, writes Akiva Eldar.

U.S. President Barack Obama smiles during remarks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington, March 4, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

Israel and Obama's New Plan For the Middle East

President Obama has a new plan for the Middle East: to both revive the peace process and deal with Iran and nuclear proliferation, writes Ben Caspit.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal waves to Palestinian student during his visit to the Islamic University in Gaza City December 9, 2012. Hamas's vow to vanquish Israel after claiming "victory" in last month's Gaza conflict vindicates Israel's reluctance to relinquish more land to the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the Islamist Hamas movement, made a defiant speech before thousands of supporters in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, promising to take "inch-by-

Meshaal to Lead Hamas for Third Term

After promising to not seek a third term, Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal has reversed his decision as a result of several factors, including regional changes relating to the Muslim Brotherhood’s ascension to power in major Arab countries, writes Omar Shaban.