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Israel

September 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:26 pm

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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

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - JUNE 08: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman speak to the press at the scene of a shooting outside Max Brenner restaurant in Sarona Market on June 8, 2016 in Tel Aviv, Israel. According to police reports, four Israelis were killed and several others wounded when two Palestinian gunmen open fire at the food and retail complex in central Tel Aviv. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

Where does Israeli defense minister fit in fraud scandal?

With several senior Yisrael Beitenu officials being investigated for fraud, it's time for the party's head, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, to resign.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres ( L) and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (R) arrive for a meeting at the Gaza airport in Rafah September 26, 2001. Arafat and Peres met for a long awaited meeting to discuss steps to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. - RTXKROT

Palestinians and Peres: A love-hate relationship

Palestinians insist that while the late Israeli leader Shimon Peres was an Israeli patriot, he bears major responsibility for the plight that Palestinians find themselves in today.

Members of Neturei Karta, a fringe Jewish Ultra-Orthodox movement within the anti-Zionist bloc, take part in a protest against Israel's parliamentary election in Jerusalem March 17, 2015. Millions of Israelis voted on Tuesday in a tightly fought election, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing an uphill battle to defeat a strong campaign by the centre-left opposition to deny him a fourth term in office. The sign reads, "We are Jews, not Zionists. That's why we will not participate in their impure ele

Why some ultra-Orthodox are up in arms over state funding for their schools

Parents from the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox stream are angry at one of their schools for secretly receiving funding from the Israeli Ministry of Education.

As Lehava extremists terrorize Jerusalem, where are the police?

Arab restaurant workers are increasingly being attacked by members of the extremist right-wing group Lehava.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres talks during a presentation of his biography book in Tel Aviv in this March 21, 2006 file photo. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/Files - RTSPRM8

Iran reacts to death of Israel’s founding father

As news of the death of Israeli founding father and prominent politician Shimon Peres broke, Iranian media outlets wasted no time in commenting on his legacy, and their various obituaries tell the story of a long and complex relationship between the two countries.

Players from Israeli soccer clubs affiliated with Israel Football Association, Ariel Municipal Soccer Club and Maccabi HaSharon Netanya, play against each other at Ariel Municipal Soccer Club's training grounds in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel September 23, 2016. Picture taken September 23, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTSPDV4

FIFA under pressure to sanction Israel for settlement games

A powerful report by Human Rights Watch on the eve of a FIFA meeting forces the global soccer association to act against Israeli settlement teams.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Isaac Herzog, co-leader of the Zionist Union party, are pictured together as campaign billboards rotate in Tel Aviv, March 9, 2015. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo - RTSEUAF

Is Netanyahu ready to join forces with opposition leader?

According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a year and a half of negotiating with Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog the possibility of a unity government, the time might have come for this to happen.

Israeli presidential guards stand next to national flag which was lowered to half mast during a ceremony marking the death of former Israeli President Shimon Peres, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem September 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTSPUZ8

Fulfilling vision of Peres requires dismantling settlements

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres' Middle East peace legacy can only be realized if the settlements he himself approved many years ago are dismantled.

RAMALLAH, -: Palestinian women hold up banners reading "No to killing, yes to life" as they demonstrate against the "crimes of honor" in some traditional and rural Palestinian communities in which female vitue and virginity still defines a family's reputation, 10 September 2005 in Ramallah. Honor killing in some Arab societies occurrs when women accused in sexual misconduct are murdered by close relatives who are encourged by their families to "cleanse" the honor of the family that has been "disgraced." AF

How activists are confronting contract killings of Israeli Arab women

Activists within the Israeli Arab sector warn of growing violence and the murder of women, with five Israeli Arab women killed so far in 2016.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) takes a seat next to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (bottom) as Defence Minister Ehud Barak walks to deliver a statement in Jerusalem November 21, 2012. Netanyahu hinted on Wednesday that if an Egyptian-brokered truce with Islamist militants in Gaza did not work Israel would consider "more severe military action" against the Palestinian territory. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR3APHV

Why criticism from former PM Barak rattles Netanyahu

A recent tweet by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak could portend the next big challenge to Benjamin Netanyahu's grip on power.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departs after meeting with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, U.S. September 25, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSPE08

Likud cheers as Netanyahu returns, but polls tell another story

The Israeli prime minister's triumphant return from New York was topped off by the Likud's festive New Year celebration, leaving Benjamin Netanyahu feeling stronger than ever — at least within his own party.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers remarks at the Hudson Institute's Herman Kahn Award Ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly - RTSP1VO

Why is Congress fighting Netanyahu’s battle?

US senators are pressuring the Obama administration to follow policies toward the Palestinians that match those favored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.