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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:25 am

25°C

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

No meeting has been announced between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York.

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

Gargash

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

"We need a new mindset that these sort of discussions ... can happen at an Iranian-American level, it should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level," Gargash told Al-Monitor.

United Arab Emirates

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

Latest News

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

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

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.

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

Palestinian journalists take part in a protest in front of the Reuters office in Gaza April 22, 208, against the killing of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana. Shana, a 23-year-old Palestinian, was killed in the Gaza Strip on April 16, 2008 while covering events in the enclave for the international news agency. He had been filming an Israeli tank dug in about 1,000 yards (1 km) away. Gaza doctors said darts sprayed from a controversial missile used by Israel killed Shana. Israeli forces have not said whether one

Palestinian journalists frustrated with inability to cover PA corruption

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's investigation unfolds next door, Palestinian journalists envy the press freedom to investigate alleged wrong doing in their own country.

Zionist Camp MK's message to the Israeli left

Knesset member Ksenia Svetlova of the Zionist Camp told Al-Monitor in an interview that she still believes a diplomatic agreement with the Palestinians is the only solution and that Israelis must realize that there is no way to totally end terror acts.

Israeli soldier Elor Azaria, who is charged with manslaughter by the Israeli military, sits to hear his verdict in a military court in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Heidi Levine/Pool - RTX2XHOA

Israeli court’s conviction temporarily fends off ICC

The manslaughter conviction of an Israeli soldier for killing a wounded Palestinian youth has fended off an investigation of that particular crime by the International Criminal Court, but it does not mean Israel is in the clear on allegations of war crimes for other deaths.

Pedestrians walk past the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv August 2, 2013. U.S. embassies that would normally be open this Sunday - including those in Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Cairo - will be closed that day because of unspecified security concerns, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. CBS News said U.S. embassies would also be closed in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12876

Palestinians ponder possible US Embassy move to Jerusalem

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has written a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump in an attempt to convince him not to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Why Netanyahu rushed to link Jerusalem attack to IS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to blame the Islamic State for the terror attack in Jerusalem, ignoring that Palestinian assailants are motivated first and foremost by the Israeli occupation.

Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot speaks at the annual Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv January 18, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX22X9B

How Netanyahu failed IDF battle of ethics

While IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot defended the verdict against the soldier who shot a wounded Palestinian assailant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered only feeble support of the army’s leader.

Israeli soldiers work at the scene where police said a Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on a popular promenade in Jerusalem January 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2XYKA

Jerusalem terror: Palestinian intifada or Islamic State attack?

The truck attack in Jerusalem indicates that the Palestinian intifada has no rules, framework or commanding hierarchy.

EU wants P4+1 model on Israeli settlements

The European Union is considering establishing a P4+1 group, without the United States, dealing separately with the Israeli-Palestinian issue and the Iran file.

How did Gaza’s economic elite become day laborers in Israel?

Once-prosperous Gaza merchants, having depleted their savings and barely surviving, are using their entry permits into Israel to search for odd jobs.

Why Israel, Russia remain chums

Russia and Israel will continue to enjoy strong relations despite Russia’s UN Security Council vote for Resolution 2334 condemning the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.

How Israel's populist politicians campaigned for Hebron shooter

The family of Sgt. Elor Azaria was hoping that a populist right-wing campaign in support of their son would save him from conviction over the fatal shooting of a wounded Palestinian assailant.

Are ultra-Orthodox taking over this secular Israeli city?

Residents of the southern city of Arad are worried about the Gur ultra-Orthodox sect members who are constantly buying apartments there.