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May 15, 2026

Tel Aviv 3:46 pm

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Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel."

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/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

Labourers work in front of electoral campaign posters bearing the portraits of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), leader of the Likud party, and retired Israeli general Benny Gantz (R), one of the leaders of the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) political alliance, in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, on April 3, 2019, ahead of the general election scheduled for April 9. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Likud blames rival over Netanyahu-instigated political crisis

The insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to step down while being investigated by police is at the source of the current crisis; yet he prefers to blame his rival for the political deadlock.

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President Rivlin protects Israel against its own prime minister

The Blue and White party's leadership fails to understand why President Reuven Rivlin is offering a solution for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stay partially in power.

Israel combats Palestinians' West Bank rocket-making

Israel is growing concerned about Palestinian factions’ attempts to manufacture rockets inside the West Bank.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addresses the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC1AE23439C0

Interview

Israel’s UN ambassador says crisis with Iran 'brings us closer' to Arab states

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Danny Danon says Iran is "lying all the way" about its nuclear program — "We proved it to the world.”

Incitement and the poet: Dareen Tatour's legal victory

The Israeli Supreme Court recently declined to review a district court ruling that a poem by Dareen Tatour did not constitute incitement.

Palestinians hope to import Iraqi oil, become more energy independent

Palestinians are inching closer to the possibility of being able to import Iraqi oil to Jordan and have the Jordan refinery convert it to local products that can pass Israeli inspection.

A Palestinian demonstrator holds a United Nations' flag during a rally against a U.S. decision to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and in support of president Mahmoud Abbas, in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC19AEA408D0

Donor countries stand by UN Palestinian refugee agency despite corruption probe

The Trump administration skipped today's pledging conference co-hosted by Jordan and Sweden.

Why Netanyahu’s hearing should be streamed live

Maximum transparency, even such exceptional measures as filming the pre-indictment hearing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could help restore trust in the legal system.

Netanyahu holds Israel hostage

Blue and White party leaders rejected the proposal made by President Reuven Rivlin for power-sharing, as they do not trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep his part of the deal.

Kahlon leak closes path around Deduction Law

Efforts by Israel and the Palestinians to find solutions for alleviating the economic crisis facing the Palestinian Authority had met with some success, but a recent leak meant the end of the road for much-needed additional measures.

Oman's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (not pictured) in Tehran, Iran July 27, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC19F47221C0

Interview

Oman minister describes role as 'facilitator' of diplomacy in turbulent region

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman’s minister responsible for foreign affairs, describes his country's role as facilitator, not mediator, to resolve the region's conflicts, including Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen, and the embargo of Qatar.

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a nomination ceremony at the President's residency in Jerusalem September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/ - RC139CE03AC0

Intel: Why Israel’s president chose Netanyahu to form new government

A week after Israel’s legislative elections, President Reuven Rivlin has chosen Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a first attempt at forming a government, but a path to a majority coalition remains difficult.