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September 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 7:41 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

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - SEPTEMBER 15: (L-R) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas meet at Netanyahu's residence September 15, 2010 in Jerusalem, Israel. Netanyahu and Abbas are deadlocked in peace negotiations over Israeli settlement building. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi-Pool/Getty Images)

Is Netanyahu trying to kill Russian summit initiative?

Palestinian sources believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's release of his ''ethnic cleansing'' video is part of an attempt to sabotage a Russian-backed summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

A Palestinian boy holds a sign that reads "we demand our dignity" in front of Israeli soldiers during a protest calling for the reopening of a closed street in the West Bank city of Hebron August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RTX2MW1E

Why referendum on West Bank is unlikely to change anything

Instead of going to the streets, the Israeli peace camp prefers an online campaign that is unlikely to change anything within Israeli public opinion.

Netanyahu cries 'ethnic cleansing' after offering to negotiate

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he is willing to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but then quickly released a video clip accusing those who call for the evacuation of the settlements of supporting ethnic cleansing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on as he chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office on September 11, 2016. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool - RTSN7M0

Is Bibi a secret Trump supporter?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remark that ''Societies that demand ethnic cleansing don’t pursue peace'' could have been meant to damage US Jews' support of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

A Palestinian stone-thrower looks on as he stands in front of a fire during clashes with Israeli troops following the funeral of Palestinian Riham Dawabsheh at Duma village near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, September 7, 2015. The mother of a Palestinian toddler killed in a July arson attack in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, died on Monday of her burns, the third fatality after her husband succumbed to his injuries last month. Suspected Jewish attackers torched the family's home in the northern We

One year into Palestinian uprising: What’s the status today?

The popular uprising in the West Bank has significantly waned, but not disappeared, in recent months in the absence of organized political support.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Finance Minister Yair Lapid attend a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem October 7, 2014. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR499SO

Has Netanyahu met his match?

A recent poll showing Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid to be the strongest party in Israel is the talk of Israeli politics.

A dog looks out a car window as a driver stands still during the sounding of an air raid siren marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in Tel Aviv April 28, 2014. Israel on Monday marked the annual memorial day commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War Two. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY MILITARY CONFLICT) - RTR3MVWG

Tel Aviv taxi passengers treated to Hebrew masterpieces — in Arabic

Israeli taxi driver Moshe Choresh and his wife, Sandra, are gaining fame for their personal project to translate Israeli musical masterpieces into Arabic, which they record and play for Moshe's clients during their rides.

Palestinians are seen behind flame from burning tyres during clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Qabatya, near Jenin February 22, 2016. Israeli forces closed the main entrance of the town on Monday a day after a Palestinian from Qabatya was shot dead by Israeli troops after he tried to stab a soldier, Palestinian witnesses said. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX2829U

Will Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalate in December?

Both Israel and the Palestinians are using the period of international deadlock at the end of 2016 to consolidate their support bases instead of advancing dialogue initiatives.

An Israeli flag is seen in the background as a man casts his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah January 22, 2013. Israelis voted on Tuesday in an election that is expected to see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu win a third term in office, pushing the Jewish state further to the right, away from peace with the Palestinians and towards a showdown with Iran. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE

Will Israelis living overseas gain right to vote?

Israeli politicians from across the political map are advancing a law to allow Israeli expatriates, not just diplomats, to vote in absentia in Israel's elections.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid attends a women's committee convention in Tel Aviv March 1, 2015. The era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ending, with Israeli voters clearly more concerned about economic and social issues than about security or fears over Iran, a leading election candidate said on Monday. Lapid, a telegenic former news anchor and TV host, leads the centrist, secular Yesh Atid party ("There's a Future"), which emerged out of the cost-of-living protests that swept Israel in 2011. Picture

Why it's crunch time for Israeli left

The Israeli left is at its lowest point in its history and must reinvent itself to survive.

Palestinian Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh waves to his supporters during an anti-Israeli rally in Gaza city April 28, 2016. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RTX2C2YQ

Qatar or Iran: Who will save Hamas?

The Hamas delegation will split forces after performing the hajj in Mecca, with Ismail Haniyeh heading to Qatar and Mahmoud al-Zahar visiting Iran.

Eli Cohen, (R) and Avihai Weinstein, (L), sit handcuffed at the magistrates court in the Israeli town of Petah Tikva February 2. The court on Wednesday extended the detention of the two Israelis arrested on suspicion of selling large amounts of military equipment to Iran.

HL/FMS - RTRVL3

Ultra-Orthodox arms dealer faces extradition to US

Israel's Supreme Court has rejected Eli Cohen's appeal to stop his extradition to the United States for violating sanctions against Iran after a long history of evading prosecution for such offenses.