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Israel

September 20, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:17 pm

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on as he attends a trade agreement signature ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 24, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to capitalize on Riyadh's need for intelligence assistance to make normalization headway ahead of the October elections.

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

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

Serbia opens factory to assemble Israeli-made drones: What to know

Serbian President Vucic said the factory will put together “state-of-the-art” Israeli-designed drones and employ around 100 workers.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

Latest News

Culture

Israeli show ‘Fauda’ tops Netflix in Lebanon, hits top 10 across Arab states

ISRAEL-ENTERTAINMENT-TELEVISION-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-MASS-MEDIA-D (L to R) Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, co-creators of the hit Israeli TV show "Fauda", attend a demonstration against the Israeli government's plans to shut-down public broadcaster KAN, in Israel's Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on January 25, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

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

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

For Israeli right, there is no occupation

The Israeli government's denial of the occupation has led it to intimidating those who dare acknowledge its existence or use the word "occupation."

Russian military jets are seen at Hmeymim air base in Syria, June 18, 2016. Picture taken June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2H2BC

Israel takes stock of Putin’s pull with Iran

There’s a flurry of positioning as Iran, Russia, the United States and Israel all want assurances about the future balance of power in Syria.

Israel's defense minister in crosshairs

The resignation of Israel’s coordinator on captive and missing soldiers suggests that Israel has stopped negotiating with Hamas for a prisoner exchange deal.

Netanyahu in tight spot amid Hamas prisoner swap debate

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel must not “repeat the mistakes made with the Shalit deal," namely releasing hundreds of Hamas operatives in the framework of a prisoner-exchange deal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry during a joint press conference following their meeting in Moscow, on March 16, 2016. AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV / AFP / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Moscow, Cairo discuss boosting ties

Representatives of Russia and Egypt seemed pleased with the outcome of their meetings this week, as they touched base on current regional developments and talked through their perspectives.

A view shows buildings in Doha, Qatar, June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon - RTX39V40

What Iran-Qatar reset means for Syria

Iran adds another “Sunni” power to its regional network; Turkey ponders next moves in Idlib; Israel presents the “big picture” on Iran in Washington and Sochi, Russia; Akiva Eldar on Israel’s silence over Charlottesville.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump chat as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner is seen in between them, during their meeting at the King David hotel in Jerusalem May 22, 2017. Kobi Gideon/Courtesy of Government Press Office/Handout via Reuters THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. ISRAEL OUT. NO SALES IN ISRAEL - RTX372DP

Trump sends personal message to Abbas via Kushner

The personal message from US President Donald Trump about his commitment to the peace process, delivered by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, softened the stance of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - JUNE 21: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout photo provided by the Israel Government Press Office (GPO), Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Jared Kushner on June 21, 2017 in Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo by Amos Ben Gershom/GPO via Getty Images)

Netanyahu and Kushner's diplomatic masquerade

Neither Israeli media nor the Israeli political class showed any interest in the most recent meeting between White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Jordan's King Abdullah II is hugged by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas upon the king's arrival in the West Bank city of Ramallah, August 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTS1APAM

Will Jordan, Palestinians form confederation?

Palestinian officials are pushing a plan for enhanced cooperation and confederative ties with Jordan.

Heavy machinery work on a field as they begin construction work of Amichai, a new settlement which will house some 300 Jewish settlers evicted in February from the illegal West Bank settlement of Amona, in the West Bank June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTS17UHK

Israel defends Palestinian land theft in court

Even after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said that the Regularization law is unlawful as it steals private Palestinian lands, Israel continues to defend it in court.

Iranian soldiers march during a parade marking the country's Army Day, on April 18, 2017, in Tehran. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Netanyahu raising alarm on Iran, again

Israel has told US and Russian officials that Iran’s long-term strategies and its missile capabilities endanger the region.

Israeli Culture and Sports minister Miri Regev speaks before the actors from Habima, the national theatre of Israel, performed A Simple Story, a dramatised version of Shmuel Yosef Agnon's Sipur Pashut, in the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Hebron on November 10, 2016.
The Israeli national theater company has performed in an infamous settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time, attracting praise from the rightwing government and strong criticism in th

Israel's culture minister pressures theater over Palestinian poet

An event hosted by the Arab-Hebrew Theater in Jaffa supporting Israeli-Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour generated a harsh reaction by Israel's Culture Minister Miri Regev, who threatened to cut state funding to the theater.