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Israel

June 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:22 pm

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Former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot gives a press conference in Tel Aviv, on December 4, 2018.

Can political novice Eisenkot defeat Netanyahu in upcoming elections?

The former military chief of staff is emerging as the prime minister's strongest rival in upcoming elections, overtaking former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in recent polls.

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

The latest ceasefire in Lebanon leaves Netanyahu squeezed between Washington and domestic pressure.

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

Latest News

'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Get

Explainer

Ben-Gvir's move to run separately in Israel elections revives debate over party alliances

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir takes part in the Jerusalem Day celebrations on May 14, 2026, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Analysis

'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Lapid renews push to draft ultra-Orthodox, is it worth it?

Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid has relaunched a campaign over ultra-Orthodox drafting that the Knesset is about to change.

How Israeli right will be able to hide behind proposed 'transparency law'

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's proposed "transparency law" burdens NGOs receiving foreign government assistance, but allows politicians and parties unfettered money from foreign organizations and individuals, including evangelical groups and alleged criminals.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) talks with Likud Knesset member Ze'ev Elkin (L) during a meeting at the parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on May 13, 2015, to vote on a bill to increase the number of ministers permitted. Netanyahu's fledgling coalition passed its first test in a deeply divided parliament when it passed the bill by 61 votes to 59. AFP PHOTO / GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Right-wing minister and IDF clash over Israel's intel assessment

Minister Zeev Elkin accused IDF Intelligence Chief Herzi Halevi of faulty assessments, claiming that the military does not take into account incitement by the Palestinian Authority.

ATTENTION EDITORS ‚Äì VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH Palestinian security forces carry the bodies of two Palestinians, who Israeli authorities say were involved in stabbing attacks on Israelis, before their funeral in the West Bank village of Qatana, near Jerusalem November 2, 2015. Israel on Sunday returned the bodies of the two Palestinians whom it accuses of stabbing Israelis. REUTERS/Mohamad TorokmanTEMPLATE OUT - RTX1UF38

The rise of 'shahada'

The concept of shahid re-emerges in the Palestinian discourse.

Isaac Herzog, leader of Zionist Union party, attends the swearing-in ceremony of the 20th Knesset, the new Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem March 31, 2015. REUTERS/Heidi Levine/Pool - RTR4VMRF

Party squabbles keep Herzog from leading opposition

Instead of piloting the opposition while the coalition is leading Israel toward harsh divisions, Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog is busy dealing with internal party bickering and threats to his leadership.

How Palestinian divisions affect the intifada

As the uprising in the Palestinian territories enters its second month, Palestinians have yet to agree on its nature, objectives and repercussions.

How to apply the lessons from protecting Hebron to Jerusalem

The Temporary International Presence in Hebron has failed to make a major change in relations between Israelis and Palestinians, as many argue that a similar force in Jerusalem will not work unless it is given clear mandate and power to hold any violators accountable.

Israeli police officers take positions on the roof of the Al-Aqsa mosque during clashes with Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City, September 15, 2015. The U.S. State Department on Monday voiced concern about violence at the compound surrounding Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, an area revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount. REUTERS/Baz Ratner TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS15G9

The struggle to be king of the Mount

Israel should be wary that events surrounding the Temple Mount are morphing into a battle between the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel and Jordan.

A general view of Jerusalem's old city shows the Dome of the Rock in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, October 25, 2015. Palestinian officials reacted warily on Sunday to what U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hailed as Jordan's "excellent suggestion" to calm Israeli-Palestinian violence by putting a sensitive Jerusalem holy site under constant video monitoring. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX1T4AE

Zawahri and Jerusalem

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, in a new audio message following a classic pattern, lauds Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem and calls on followers to attack Israel's international backers to hasten the fall of the Jewish state.

A member of Neturei Karta, a fringe ultra-Orthodox Jewish movement within the anti-Zionist bloc, carries Palestinian flags during a rally marking the tenth anniversary of the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 11, 2014. Neturei Karta is a small anti-Zionist organization that says it adheres strictly to the Torah, the Jewish holy book, which it says forbids the establishment of a Jewish state before the coming of the Messiah. It supports Palestinian sov

Why these ultra-Orthodox Jews support the Palestinian cause

The ultra-Orthodox Neturei Karta faction would rather live under Palestinian rule, while the mainstream ultra-Orthodox community believes that the Zionist state is essential for the Jewish people’s survival.

A Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighter flies during a drill at the Russian southern Stavropol region, March 12, 2015. Russia has started military exercises in the country's south, as well as in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine last year, news agency RIA reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR4T448

Russian, Israeli jets share Syrian skies ... for now

Russia's military involvement in Syria is testing its relations with Israel and the determination of both countries to avoid a conflict.

The Israeli justice minister's 'transparency law'

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's transparency bill is actually aimed at delegitimizing left-wing NGOs and damaging their ability to operate, and helps her score points with her supporters as well, as these NGOs by law already have to submit the requested data.