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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 5, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:30 am

27°C

Joint List Party leader Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on April 5, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Interview

Ayman Odeh says Arab parties could back Bennett or Eisenkot to block Netanyahu

In an interview with Al-Monitor, head of the Arab-Israeli Hadash-Ta'al Knesset faction, Ayman Odeh, said his party is prepared to make difficult decisions to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Ayman Odeh

Head of the Knesset's Hadash-Ta'al faction

Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

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

Latest News

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

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

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

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

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

Palestinian youths take part during a rally in support of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (seen on banner), at the Seaport of Gaza City June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10RQC

Erdogan’s Proposed Gaza Visit Reignites Controversy

Despite opposition from Israel, the United States and the Palestinian Authority, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Gaza is set to take place by July 5.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 16, 2013. Netanyahu called on Sunday for no let-up in international pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions after the election of a new president widely seen as a moderate. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10PJ1

Netanyahu Loses Control Over Likud Convention

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw the extreme right infiltrate his party, but instead of putting up a fight, he demonstrated apathy and flaccidity.

A protester waving a Palestinian flag shouts at an Orthodox Jewish man in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem May 17, 2013, during a weekly demonstration against Jewish settlements and the possible eviction of a Palestinian family from their home. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZQQB

Can Israel's Settlers Be Persuaded To Exit the Occupied Territories?

Yedidia Stern, a religious Jew, believes that Israelis are finally ready to make a democratic decision on the fate of the territories.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) listens to Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 8, 2011. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2M4VF

Israel Cancels East Jerusalem Puppet Festival

Israeli Minister of Internal Security Yitzhak Aharonovitch canceled the Jerusalem puppet festival, a major cultural event enjoyed by underprivileged Palestinian children of east Jerusalem.

Singer Alicia Keys performs at the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, February 10, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) (GRAMMYS-SHOW) - RTR3DM9V

Alicia Keys Going Ahead with Performance in Israel

The singer joined the ranks of Madonna, Alanis Morissette and Macy Gray by going ahead with her planned performance in Israel on July 4.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gives a thumbs up as he departs Kuwait City, June 26, 2013, en route to Amman, Jordan. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX111TC

Why Kerry Wants a Fast Reboot Of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry wants a quick resumption of Mideast peace talks, hoping to elicit some flexibility from Israel and to head off UN countermeasures by the Palestinians.

Israeli Deputy: 'Abu Mazen Is a Political Corpse'

Israeli Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirshenbaum states that Palestinian Chairman Abu Mazen has no internal legitimacy to negotiate an agreement which will include the Gaza Strip.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint news conference with Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer, Energy Minister Silvan Shalom and Finance Minister Yair Lapid (not pictured) in Jerusalem June 19, 2013. Israel said on Wednesday it will keep the majority of it's newfound natural gas for domestic use, but will still allow enough gas to be sold abroad to satisfy exploration companies who want access to the global market. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY BUSINES

Bibi’s Choice: Make Peace Or Lose the Right Wing

If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sincere in seeking an agreement with the Palestinians, he must distance himself from his party's extreme right-wing faction that opposes peace.

Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian senior politician and chief negotiator stands near a road under construction, which has become the latest focal point of Arab-Israeli discontent, in the Arab neighbourhood of Beit Safafa in Jerusalem March 14, 2013. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clinched deals for a coalition government on Thursday reflecting a shift to the centre in Israel and a domestic agenda that has shunted peacemaking with Palestinians to the sidelines. "We hope that this Israeli government will

Erekat: No Plans for Kerry, Abu Mazen, Netanyahu Summit

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is stuck between US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Palestinian street.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waits to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, June 28, 2013. After seeing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan, Kerry travelled to Jerusalem for evening talks with Netanyahu - a meeting that had been originally expected on Saturday. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX114VG

Harsh Reality of Israeli Occupation Persists in Spite of Kerry's Efforts

Weekly protests in West Bank villages against the Israeli occupation continue, with little hope that Kerry’s initiative will bring positive results.

Qatar's Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani smiles during his arrival for an economic ties visit at Khartoum Airport December 4, 2011. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah (SUDAN - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS BUSINESS) - RTR2UTVY

Israel, Hamas Watching Change of Leaders in Qatar

Israel closely follows the change of leadership in Qatar, and the impact of the change on the Arab Peace Initiative.

Moroccan Jews hold willows as they celebrate the festival of Sukkot in a synagogue in the old city of the capital Rabat October 19, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer (MOROCCO - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR2SVAC

Israelis Still Attached To Their Jewish-Berber Identity

French-Moroccan film director Kamal Hachkar reveals Morocco’s Jewish past in a moving documentary.