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.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends the funeral of former senior Fatah official Ahmed Abdel Rahman, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC2BOD99XX4O

Abbas mulls option of postponing Palestinian elections

Al-Monitor has learned that President Mahmoud Abbas is getting ready to postpone the Palestinian general elections under the pretext of Israel’s yet to be announced reponse to a request to allow Palestinians in Jerusalem to vote.

Palestinian Hamas militants take part in an anti-Israel military show in the southern Gaza Strip November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC2Z8D99U0S8

Can Israel, Hamas keep it calm after US killing of Soleimani?

For Israel, the return of deterrence is tainted with the possibility of a nightmare scenario.

Small West Bank school holds firm despite settler attacks

To get an education, the students in Yanoun, a Palestinian village near Nablus, must deal with attacks by Israeli settlers on the way to school and even in their homes.

Hamas must choose: Egypt or Iran?

Angered that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh broke an agreement not to visit Iran, Egypt will make Hamas understand that it must choose sides and break with Iran if the movement hopes to survive.

Palestinian supporters of the Hamas mouvement attend a rally calling for the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state, in Gaza City on January 3, 2020. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas unfazed by Israel warnings

As Israel is making economic concessions in the Gaza Strip, sporadic rockets continue to be launched from the enclave, prompting Israel to threaten to end all concessions.

A truck carrying fruits arrives at Kerem Shalom crossing after it was reopened by Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip October 21, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1B927E40E0

Is Israel dangling economic carrot to lead Hamas to a truce?

Israel has allowed Gaza to import and export previously banned goods for the first time in 13 years, and some have interpreted the move as part of an effort to entice Hamas into a truce.

Palestinians wary of ICC call for probe into Israeli war crimes

Palestinians received with skepticism the announcement by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor that an investigation should be launched to document war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while some believe it could herald change if it is followed by concrete actions.

Multibillion-dollar lawsuit in Israel against Arab Bank

Israeli casualties of terrorism sue the Jordan-based Arab Bank over its alleged assistance to terror groups.

Hamas bets on Palestinians abroad to influence PNC elections

Hamas has recently stepped up its visits to Palestinian camps abroad, raising questions about the purpose of these visits in light of preparations for Palestinian general elections.

Senior Hamas leader Fathi Hammad speaks during a rally marking the 32nd anniversary of Hamas founding, in the northern Gaza Strip December 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC2CUD9KU5TZ

Long road still before Israel-Hamas arrangement

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs quiet on the Gaza Strip, but fears saying publicly that he’s in favor of an arrangement with Hamas.

The Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan is seen in the background as people walk on a promenade on the surrounding walls of Jerusalem's Old City November 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC2F6D9MOPO2

Stateless Jerusalemites call on Jordan to restore their citizenship

Palestinians living in Jerusalem are concerned about their future and ways to protect themselves and their properties amid calls to have their Jordanian citizenship restored.

Birzeit bans ‘military’ events, sparking student protests

Birzeit University students are challenging the school's administration over what it says is the "militarization" of their activities on campus.