Israel - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Israel cover image

Israel

September 14, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:27 am

31°C

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Weeks before key Israeli elections, a dozen nations announced new trade restrictions targeting settlements in the West Bank, delivering a sharp rebuke to Israel's government that could presage additional international pressure.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Erik Marmor

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Facing the popular Gadi Eisenkot, the Together party of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is sinking in Israeli opinion polls.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli strikes that targeted the hilltops of the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge on Aug. 14, 2026.

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in Ali al-Taher ridge: What to know

The ridge has become a flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon due to its extensive tunnel network Israel says is utilized by the Iran-backed group.

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

Latest News

Analysis

Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies

TOPSHOT - Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

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

12 countries including France, UK, Canada end trade with West Bank settlements

West Bank settlements

Katz warns PA against 'Oct. 7-style' attack as West Bank violence rises

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 2025.

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

TEHRAN, IRAN - JULY 22: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - "IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei (2nd R) meets Saleh al-Arouri (3rd R), deputy leader of Hamas, in Tehran, Iran on July 22, 2019. (Photo by IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Hamas' rapprochement with Iran endangers deal with Israel

The high-level Hamas visit to Tehran does not bode well for the movement's arrangement with Israel.

Work in Israeli settlements means high risks, no safety net for Palestinian laborers

Most of the 36,000 Palestinians who work in Israeli settlements across the West Bank lack basic benefits including personal protection equipment and have little to no recourse when the worst happens.

A supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party waves flags, one bearing the name of U.S. President Donald Trump, as the crowd reacts to exit polls in Israel's parliamentary election at the party headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC12929E4A50

Israelis are Trump's biggest fans

President Donald Trump faces growing criticism in the United States over his anti-immigrant approach, but in Israel he is considered a hero.

Why Trump’s embrace of Israel endangers it

Three "American" chores await Israel’s next prime minister: explaining to President Donald Trump the importance of the two-state solution, regaining the trust of the Democrats and repairing ties with US Jewry.

U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) is escorted by Madeleine Westerhout (R) as he arrives at Trump Tower to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in New York, U.S., November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RC1E37EFDFD0

Republicans sour on two-state solution

Republican opposition to a resolution endorsing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reflects the party’s drift away from a previously bipartisan pillar of US foreign policy.

Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak waves to the crowd as he arrives to his election victory rally May 23. Barak won a landslide victory over encumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in last week's general election and now begins forming a government which he has said should be broad-based and include all aspects of Israeli society.

JWH/JDP - RP1DRIIGCVAB

Netanyahu, Barak locked in dirtiest fight yet

The upcoming Israeli elections are already reminiscent of 1999, when Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu first exchanged vitriolic rhetoric and outrageous accusations.

Netanyahu’s catch-22 over anti-BDS campaign

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon have to decide whether to use the anti-BDS law he supported to prevent the entry into Israel of US Democratic congressional members Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

Palestinian Authority looks to cryptocurrency to scrap shekel

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh believes the Palestinian economy's future lies in encrypted digital currency, though there are plenty of pitfalls.

Would Israel’s left succeed in uniting ahead of elections?

The left-wing Meretz and Labor parties know that running on one ticket could garner more votes, but have failed so far to reach an agreement.

Israel and Hamas agree: Gaza to soon get new hospital

Israel and Hamas are on the same page for a change, with the two agreeing on the erection of a field hospital near the Erez crossing to enable international medical teams to help address some of the health care problems plaguing Gaza residents.

What is behind Likud mayors’ secular moves?

Are the secular initiatives — operating buses on the Sabbath — by the mayors of Ramat Gan and Modi'in, both from the Likud, meant to neutralize Avigdor Liberman’s claim that the Likud is bowing to the ultra-Orthodox?

Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh attends a meeting with members of international media at his office in Gaza City June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC1BD07EC530

Hamas set to counter Israel’s systematic campaigns

The Hamas movement abroad has announced its intention to develop a plan aimed at countering Israel’s systematic campaigns that are affecting the movement at several levels.