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.

Palestinians ask: Who will fill Saeb’s shoes?

The question of who will take the helm of negotiations with Israel is particularly important with the election of Joe Biden and renewed prospects for talks.

Saeb Erekat (R), Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and chief Palestinian negotiator, speaks during a press conference in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah on November 19, 2019. - Israelis reacted joyfully on November 19 to the United States's announcement it no longer considers settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem illegal, but the Palestinians pledged fresh measures to oppose the declaration. Erekat said it was only the latest move by the US to try and forc

Veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat dies at 65

Erekat, who contracted the coronavirus last month, died in a Jerusalem hospital on Tuesday.

As Biden takes lead, Palestinians eager to return to talks with US

While Palestinian officials don't expect a Biden administration to roll back all of Trump's policies, they are hopeful for a change in course in US-Palestinian ties.

Families of ancient Palestinian village struggle to survive settler attacks

Al-Monitor spent the day with Muhannad Salah and his family, some of the few remaining residents of the historic Shushahla village in Area C that has struggled to survive amid settlement expansion.

Israeli soldiers gather at a checkpoint near Nablus in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian who shot at Israeli troops on November 4, 2020 was killed when soldiers returned fire, Israel's army said. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP) (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinian who fired at Israeli troops fatally shot, IDF says

The Palestinians describe Bilal Rawajba's death as an "extrajudicial execution."

Palestinian international peace conference gaining traction

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ proposal to hold an international conference on peace in the Middle East has gained the support of several member states of the United Nations Security Council.

First UAE delegation visits Israel amid Palestinian opposition

Palestinians continue to oppose the UAE's normalization with Israel, as UAE and Israeli officials sign agreement on visa-free travel in Tel Aviv today.

United Arab Emirates

European countries slam Israel over planned settlement expansion

The foreign ministries of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain called for an immediate halt to settlement construction in the West Bank.

Middle East’s chronic woes exacerbate COVID impact, IMF says

Also: Israelis back Trump, Palestinians (kind of) tilt toward Biden.

Saudi FM wants focus on Israeli-Palestinian talks over 'eventual normalization'

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the focus of Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts should be on bringing the two sides back to the negotiating table.

A picture taken on October 14, 2020, shows new buildings in the Israeli settlement of Efrat south of the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel approves first West Bank settlement construction since normalization deals

Israel’s West Bank Civil Administration gave its final approval for more than 1,300 housing units in the West Bank and more are expected to follow.

Israel hopes aviation agreement warms up ties with Jordan

Israel and Jordan sign agreement to allow overflights flights through each other's airspace.

United Arab Emirates