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Israel

May 20, 2026

Tel Aviv 6:06 am

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NICOSIA, CYPRUS - APRIL 24: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for an informal meeting of European Union leaders on April 24, 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The EU heads of state and government are meeting over two days to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the effects of high fuel prices, and how Europe may contribute to de-escalation and a peace agreement. (Photo by Byron Smith/Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa renews ban on Israeli imports in customs law: What to know

The renewal comes even as Damascus pursues US-backed security talks with Israel aimed at reducing tensions along the border.

Somaliland’s first ambassador to a foreign country formally, Mohamed Hagi, presented his diplomatic credentials in Jerusalem to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on May 18, 2026.

Somaliland's first ambassador to Israel announces embassy in Jerusalem: What to know

Israel was the first country to recognize the breakaway region on the Horn of Africa last year.

A bride and group couple rides in a military jeep arriving for a public mass wedding ceremony at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran on May 18, 2026. Iran said on May 18 that it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that diplomatic exchanges continue despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which the US and Israel launched on February 28, but they have held only a sin

Analysis

Israel pushes for full Iran blockade as it awaits Trump's next move

Israel’s preferred strategy, sources told Al-Monitor, calls for a comprehensive naval, economic, land and air blockade of Iran, alongside tighter sanctions and covert activity aimed at destabilizing the regime.

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

Men gather around the husk of a destroyed pickup truck that was driven by a local shepherd who was reportedly struck by Israeli forces and buried by locals at a grave nearby, in the Najaf desert in southwestern Iraq, on May 12, 2026.

What we know about secret Israeli bases in Iraq

Iraqi authorities have said there are no longer any hostile forces operating in its territory.

Latest News

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

talks

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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

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

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

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat gestures during a news conference in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC15419D1D30

Is Trump pushing Abbas to dismantle the Palestinian Authority?

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat claims the Trump administration has orchestrated an offensive campaign against the Palestinians.

East Jerusalem to get 75 new housing units for Jews

Jewish settlers are celebrating the Jerusalem municipality’s decision to build 75 apartments reserved for Jews in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina.

The last liberals of the Likud

The public position that President Reuven Rivlin and Knesset member Benny Begin have taken against the Nationality Law and attacks on the Supreme Court have left them in the minority within the Likud Party.

Can the Knesset rein in the Israel Police?

A parliamentary committee of inquiry is necessary to get to the bottom of the affair involving Gal Hirsch, whose appointment to be police commissioner was scuttled by news of a police investigation into his activities, and the apparent practice of the police to compile incriminating intelligence on Israeli politicians and others.

Palestinian flag waves at Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington, U.S., November 19, 2017. U.S. State Department official said that under legislation passed by Congress, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could not renew a certification that expired this month for the PLO office. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC181D30EBB0

US-PLO row jeopardizes consular services for Palestinians

Visas and other services may be collateral damage as the Donald Trump administration closes the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission office in Washington.

People walk outside of the Augusta Victoria hospital in East Jerusalem on September 9, 2018. - The United States plans to cut $25 million in aid to six hospitals primarily serving Palestinians in Jerusalem, a State Department official confirmed on September 8. The official said the decision followed a President Donald Trump-directed review of assistance to the Palestinian Authority and in the West Bank and Gaza "to ensure these funds were being spent in accordance with US national interests and were providi

Church groups outraged as US denies critical support to Jerusalem hospitals

US President Donald Trump's decision to redirect $25 million earmarked for Palestinians in East Jerusalem hospitals to "high-priority projects elsewhere" leaves seriously ill patients caught in the middle of "political blackmail."

Jerusalem court recognizes settlement built on private Palestinian land

The Jerusalem District Court has found that an Israeli settlement built on privately owned Palestinian land is legal, but Palestinian owners have not given up hope for the Supreme Court.

Abbas says OK to demilitarized Palestinian state

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said to Israeli peace activists that he would approve the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state, which his close associates saw as a message to Israel that Palestinians want peace.

Behind Paraguay's decision to return its embassy to Tel Aviv

Analysts say that Palestinian and Paraguayan officials have worked behind closed doors to reverse the decision of the former administration to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Looking back on Oslo, 25 years later

Yossi Beilin, one of the authors of the Oslo Accords, offers seven insights into their achievements and their failures.

Can Netanyahu get indicted and then re-elected?

Police recommend assembling the different cases involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into one indictment.

Israeli Labor mulls split as polls predict crushing loss

Despite the dismal polls, no Knesset member in the Labor Party is willing to confront unpopular leader Avi Gabbay.