Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York, on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

What’s at stake for Turkey as Israel heads to the polls?

Israel’s Oct. 27 election could offer a chance to ease tensions with Ankara, but competing ambitions in Syria and beyond threaten to push the two US allies toward a dangerous confrontation.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images

Feature

50,000 Israeli expats fly home to vote in potential boon to Netanyahu rivals

Israel prohibits voting from abroad with limited exceptions, and Israelis who spoke to Al-Monitor said they are especially motivated to fly home this year.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Pedestrians cross a street in front of a banner featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Analysis

How Israel opposition infighting is boosting Netanyahu days before election

Discord within the opposition, including its reluctance to name a single candidate for prime minister ahead of the Oct. 27 election, is working in Netanyahu’s favor.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

In first, Israel’s Netanyahu says he held call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa

It is the first publicly disclosed contact between the leaders of Israel and Syria, which lack formal relations and have fought several wars. Sharaa’s government began US-mediated talks with Israel in 2025.

Latest News

Sisi says Egypt has no ‘territorial ambitions’ after Israel’s Smotrich threatens Sinai

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a joint statements and agreements during the EU and Egypt summit in Brussels, on Oct. 22, 2025.

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sues Netanyahu for nearly $1M over Oct. 7 claims

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea (R) and Security Agency director Ronen Bar, attend a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Israel-UK relations hit new low over settlements, Gaza: What to know

The British Consulate General in east Jerusalem represents the British government in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza during a protest against the recently announced British sanctions, aimed at economic activity in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, on Sept. 14, 2026, in Jerusalem.

West Bank olive harvest begins amid settler attacks on Palestinians, groves

Palestinian men sitting in and by a tractor look on after another man was injured by gunfire whilst being chased away by Israeli forces, in Aqraba in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Oct. 6, 2026.

Abandoned former Jordanian police station in West Bank

State Department says Israel 'occupied' West Bank and Gaza

A State Department spokesman said it is a "historical fact" that Israel occupied the Palestinian Territories in 1967 following a report from the department that retained some Trump administration language on the issue that is closer to Israel's position.

Lisa Peterson

US rights report keeps Trump language on Israel, Palestinian territories

The Israel section of the annual rights report included a section on “Israel, West Bank and Gaza," rather than "Israel and the Occupied Territories."

Chinese Ambassador Guo Wei (L) and Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila bump elbows during the unloading of a shipment of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 29, 2021.

Palestinians welcome Chinese peace initiative

China, which has a limited role in Middle East peace-making and security, has proposed a five-point initiative to achieve security and stability in the Middle East, including a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Beijing.

A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag as Arab Israelis march during a demonstration in the mostly Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, against organized crime and calling upon the Israeli police to stop a wave of intracommunal violence, northern Israel, March 12, 2021.

How Palestinians reacted to Israeli election results

The Palestinians were greatly disappointed at the results of the Israeli elections, which showed that far-right parties secured major gains, which could hinder the resumption of negotiations.

Golan Heights

Israel disappointed over UN Human Rights Council resolutions

As happens every year in Geneva, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted in favor of resolutions condemning Israeli actions.

Practice rocket fired in Gaza

Rocket from Gaza hits Israel on election day

The rocket landed near Beersheba while Prime Minister Netanyahu was campaigning there.

Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists lift banners and placards during a demonstration against Israeli occupation and settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, Jerusalem, March 19, 2021.

Israel intensifies efforts to Judaize Jerusalem

Jerusalemite families are facing the threat of eviction and demolition of their homes, as Israeli settlers claim they own the lands where they are dwelling.

International Criminal Court's Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda addresses a press conference in Kampala, Uganda, Feb. 27, 2015.

Israel debates penalizing Palestinians for cooperation with ICC

Analysts estimate that the revocation of the VIP border pass of Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki could be a first step in Israel’s reaction to the expected ICC probe.

An Israeli policeman stands outside the former house of the Palestinian Siyam family as a member looks from a gate, during their eviction in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem near the Old City on July 10, 2019.

Palestinians in Hebron’s Old City build fence to prevent settlers’ attacks

In the southern West Bank Old City of Hebron, Palestinians built an iron fence in a number of alleys and squares to protect themselves from the stones and trash constantly thrown by settlers to drive them to leave for other Palestinian towns.

Israelis and Arab-Israelis take part in a march to honor those killed in organized crime and call on the police to curb the wave of intra-community violence, Tel Aviv, Israel, March 18, 2021.

Israeli-Arab mothers lead protest against crime, violence

A group of bereaved Israeli-Arab mothers has decided to combat the worrisome phenomenon of increasing crime, violence and police inefficiency.

Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists lift banners and placards during a demonstration against the Israeli occupation and settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, Jerusalem, March 19, 2021.

Palestinians fight to keep property in East Jerusalem

Palestinians continue to fight for their rights to their properties and homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, thanks to the support of Jordan that has historical documents proving their ownership.

Israel's foreign minister continues anti-ICC campaign in Russia

In his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi presented his stand against the International Criminal Court probe, a renewed Iran deal and the Iranian presence in Syria.