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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 30, 2026

Tel Aviv 7:28 am

23°C

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

A car drives past an United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outpost in the village of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, southern Syria, April 29, 2026.

Syria slams Israeli 'violations' in south as ground clashes intensify: What to know

In a rare incident, the Israeli military said it fired at armed men in southern Syria, without identifying the attackers.

Latest News

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

Vance

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

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

Ultra-orthodox Jewish bride Esther Rokeach waits for the start of the "mitzva tantz", the custom in which relatives dance in front of the bride after her wedding ceremony, in Jerusalem early June 11, 2014. Thousands gathered on Tuesday to celebrate the wedding of Rokeach, the granddaughter of the spiritual leader of the Belz Hasidim, which is one of the largest Hasidic movements in the world. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR3T7BC

Israel's big fat ultra-Orthodox wedding

While the Knesset was electing a president, tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews were gathered nearby to celebrate the wedding of the Belzer rebbe’s granddaughter, two events so close physically, yet socially and ideologically miles apart.

(From L to R) Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian Fatah delegation chief Azzam al-Ahmed, Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniya, Hamas deputy leader Musa Abu Marzuk, and secretary-general of the Palestinian Arab Front (PAF) Jameel Shehadeh, pose for a picture in Gaza on April 23, 2014. Rival Palestinian leaders from the West Bank and Gaza Strip agreed to form a unity government within five weeks as peace talks with Israel face collapse. AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB (Photo c

Barghouti says Israel must end 'profitable occupation'

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, veteran Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti, who played a key role in negotiating the latest reconciliation deal, provides new details on the unity negotiations and what comes next.

Palestinians hold pictures of prisoners during a demonstration in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, in the West Bank city of Ramallah June 7, 2014. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concerns on Friday about the worsening health of Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli detention and demanded that they either be formally charged or released immediately. Some 120 Palestinians jailed without trial in Israel have been on an open-ended hunger strike, eating only salt and

Palestinian activists reject Israel force-feeding prisoners

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi condemns the Israeli bill allowing force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strikes, stressing that such strikes, as the one taking place now, are the prisoners' only option to protest illegal detention.

Reuven Rivlin (L), a former speaker of parliament and the newly elected Israeli president, hugs fellow presidential candidate, former Finance Minister Meir Sheetrit, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem June 10, 2014. Rivlin, a right-wing legislator opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, was elected Israel's president on Tuesday and will replace the dovish Shimon Peres in the largely ceremonial post. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY PROFI

Livni-Herzog alliance a threat to Netanyahu

The presidential elections exposed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political vulnerabilities.

Israel's Financial Minister Yair Lapid adresses the conference of "Jewish life and anti-semitism in contemporary Europe" in the Upper House of the parliament building on October 1, 2013 in Budapest, Hungary. The two-day conference was organized by the Tom Lantos Institute (TLI) and supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and addresses relevant issues and concerns of European Jewish communities today. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK

Lapid's strategy of empty threats benefits Netanyahu

The declaration by Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid that annexation of any area of the West Bank would result in the dismantling of the government raises the bar in a way that actually ensures the survival of the Netanyahu coalition.

An Israeli police officer stands inside a burnt mosque in the Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangariya in northern Israel October 3, 2011, before the arrival of Israel's President Shimon Peres. They strike in the dead of night, setting fire to mosques and daubing their walls with "Price Tag" graffiti, the defiant slogan of Israeli settlers waging a vigilante campaign branded as "un-Jewish" by President Shimon Peres. The "price-taggers" have vowed to avenge any move by Israeli authorities to uproot settlement out

Why doesn't Netanyahu label price tag attacks as terrorism?

Participants of the 14th Herzliya Conference criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for persisting in refusing to define settlers who commit "price tag" attacks as members of a terror organization.

Why Rivlin's win is a defeat for Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister tried and failed to prevent his right-wing rival, Reuven Rivlin, from becoming president.

Aline Alagem installation view 1.jpg

Do Israeli women deserve their own awards?

An initiative to establish a special prize for Israeli women artists provokes a public debate on whether affirmative action helps in advancing women or damages the battle for gender equality.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) talks to Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid before their meeting in Jerusalem December 6, 2013. REUTERS/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTX1665G

Lapid slams Netanyahu for 'crisis' in US-Israel ties

In a landmark speech, Finance Minister Yair Lapid broke ties with right-wing coalition members and laid claim to Israel's center-left.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) stands with President Shimon Peres and Speaker of the parliament Reuven Rivlin (R) during a memorial ceremony on Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem marking the anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin October 20, 2010. Israel marks on Wednesday the 15th anniversary of Rabin's assassination by an ultra-nationalist Jew. REUTERS/Alex Kolomoisky/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTXTN9O

Israeli left's baffling support for Rivlin

If former Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin is elected president with support from the Meretz and Labor parties, it will reveal the bankruptcy of Israel's left.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh prepares to deliver a farewell speech for his former position as a Hamas government Prime Minister, in Gaza City June 2, 2014. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a unity government on Monday after overcoming a last-minute dispute with the Hamas Islamist group. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3RTNG

Israel should put Fatah-Hamas government to the test

The establishment of a Palestinian government culminates a decade of changes the Hamas movement is undergoing, offering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an opportunity to force it into changing its fanatical charter.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) meets Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in Rome, March 6, 2014.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (ITALY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3G4K4

Liberman: Arabs 'must come out of the closet'

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman outlines his vision for a regional arrangement with Arab Gulf states.