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Israel

August 16, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:17 am

27°C

Gadi Eisenkot

Analysis

Inside Netanyahu's bet on divided opposition to secure another term

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing better in public opinion polls this week, but he is still far from securing a majority in the upcoming elections.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

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

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

Hotovely: The New Young Face of the Likud

Mazal Mualem interviews Tzipi Hotovely, who represents the new wave of religious right Likud members who believe strongly in Greater Israel.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (L) and Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed Al-Hindi celebrate what Palestinians say is a victory over Israel after an eight-day conflict, during a rally in Gaza City November 22, 2012. A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers took hold on Thursday after eight days of conflict, although deep mistrust on both sides cast doubt on how long the Egyptian-sponsored deal can last. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: MILITARY CONFLICT POLITICS)

Iran Top Backer Of Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The latest war with Israel revealed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's improved military capabilities, mostly due to continued Iranian support, Abeer Ayyoub reports from Gaza.

Former Soviet Union immigrants attend a pre-election campaign rally in the central Israeli town of Holon March 15, 2006. Israel's most influential electoral bloc is saying "Nyet" to interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just days before his Kadima party is expected to win a general election. Picture taken March 15, 2006. To match feature ISRAEL-ELECTION-RUSSIANS REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

Who's Afraid Of Israeli-Russian Voters?

Israeli politicians fail to understand the choice of many Russian immigrants to live simultaneously in both worlds, writes Lily Galili.

Ahmad Tibi (R), member of Knesset, the Israeli parliament, attends the funeral of George Habash, founder of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Amman January 28, 2008. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN)

Ahmad Tibi: No Apologies For Being a 'Palestinian Patriot'

In an interview with Shlomi Eldar, Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi realizes that he infuriates many Jewish Israelis, but he has no plans to apologize.

Israel's Labour party leader Shelly Yachimovich (L) shakes hands with Noam Shalit after a news conference in Beit Berl, north of Tel Aviv January 10, 2012. Shalit, the father of Gilad Shalit, a soldier who was held for over five years in Hamas captivity and was released in October 2011, announced on Monday his intention to seek a place in the Labour Party list for the next general elections. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS)

Will Shelly Yachimovich Win Back Israel's Left?

Shelly Yachimovich, leader of the Labor Party, declared that she will not join a Likud-led government, in a last-minute attempt to win back her leftist electorate, writes Mazal Mualem.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men sign documents at the offices of Israel's Administration for National Civil Service in Jerusalem January 6, 2013. For the first time since the August 1 expiration of the so-called Tal Law that exempted ultra-Orthodox seminary students from military conscription, dozens of scholars signed up on Sunday for alternative civilian service which, upon completion, will entitle them to avoid the draft. Some 1,300 seminary students are slated to join the program by August 2013, or until Isra

Academic World of Ultra-Orthodox Students in Israel

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s eldest daughter, Adina Bar-Shalom, talks about her life project in an interview to Tali Heruti-Sover: A new kind of academia combining the highest level of teaching and still adapted to the needs of Ultra-Orthodox students.

Israel's President Shimon Peres (R) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during the annual memorial ceremony for Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, at Sde Boker in southern Israel November 20, 2012. Israel wants to find a long-term, diplomatic solution to resolve the Gaza crisis, but will not hesitate to escalate its military campaign against Palestinian militants if needed, Netanyahu said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY)

Shimon Peres: Frustration and Disappointment with Netanyahu

In recent years, President Shimon Peres kept on believing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would adhere to his vision of peace, while the Prime Minister steps away from his Bar Ilan speech and gets closer to his right wing electorate, writes Mazal Mualem.

A Palestinian takes part in a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians joined a rare rally staged by President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group in Gaza on Friday, as tensions ease with rival Hamas Islamists ruling the enclave since 2007. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY)

Is Hamas Laying a Trap For Fatah in West Bank?

The rally in support of Fatah in Gaza last week does not necessarily mean reconciliation; it might be a sign of Hamas' ambitions in the West Bank, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Labour party candidate Stav Shaffir (C) stands with supporters during a mock election at a high school in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv December 6, 2012. The leaders of a grassroots social protest movement that swept Israel in 2011, one of them Shaffir, have shot to the top of a rejuvenated Labour party that polls say will at least double its power in a Jan. 22 general election that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud is forecast to win. Picture taken December 6, 2012. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL

Israel's 'Forgotten Voters' Key To Center-Left Race Against Bibi

In order to create a credible opponent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's center-left parties must reach out to the "forgotten" voters: Israeli Arabs, women and the Russian immigrants, writes Akiva Eldar.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) is seen during the launch of his Likud Beiteinu party campaign ahead of the upcoming January 22 national elections, in Jerusalem December 25, 2012. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Israeli Elections Elicit Little Hope for Change

Elections in Israel are two weeks away, but the electorate shows little sign of interest in substantive issues, writes Yossi Melman.

Palestinian police officers charge towards protesters during clashes at a demonstration against high living costs and the government in the West Bank city of Hebron September 10, 2012. Palestinian youths attacked a local police station and other government buildings in Hebron on Monday as protests against the rising cost of living in the occupied West Bank turned increasingly violent. R EUTERS/Darren Whiteside (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Israeli-Palestinian Security Ties Fail as They Succeed for PA

Geoffrey Aronson reports on how cooperation between IDF and Palestinian security forces undermines Palestinian sovereignty in the West bank.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iranian students hold up their hands as a sign of unity as they form a human chain around the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) to show their support for Iran's nuclear program in Isfahan, 450 km (280 miles) south of Tehran November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY EDUCATION)

Will Israel Support a Compromise on Iran's Nuclear Program?

Israeli officials are considering what might be the acceptable terms for Jerusalem if there is a new US-led diplomatic initiative with Tehran on Iran's nuclear program, writes Ben Caspit.