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Israel

May 20, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:55 pm

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NICOSIA, CYPRUS - APRIL 24: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for an informal meeting of European Union leaders on April 24, 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The EU heads of state and government are meeting over two days to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the effects of high fuel prices, and how Europe may contribute to de-escalation and a peace agreement. (Photo by Byron Smith/Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa renews ban on Israeli imports in customs law: What to know

The renewal comes even as Damascus pursues US-backed security talks with Israel aimed at reducing tensions along the border.

Somaliland’s first ambassador to a foreign country formally, Mohamed Hagi, presented his diplomatic credentials in Jerusalem to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on May 18, 2026.

Somaliland's first ambassador to Israel announces embassy in Jerusalem: What to know

Israel was the first country to recognize the breakaway region on the Horn of Africa last year.

A bride and group couple rides in a military jeep arriving for a public mass wedding ceremony at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran on May 18, 2026. Iran said on May 18 that it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that diplomatic exchanges continue despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which the US and Israel launched on February 28, but they have held only a sin

Analysis

Israel pushes for full Iran blockade as it awaits Trump's next move

Israel’s preferred strategy, sources told Al-Monitor, calls for a comprehensive naval, economic, land and air blockade of Iran, alongside tighter sanctions and covert activity aimed at destabilizing the regime.

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

Men gather around the husk of a destroyed pickup truck that was driven by a local shepherd who was reportedly struck by Israeli forces and buried by locals at a grave nearby, in the Najaf desert in southwestern Iraq, on May 12, 2026.

What we know about secret Israeli bases in Iraq

Iraqi authorities have said there are no longer any hostile forces operating in its territory.

Latest News

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

talks

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

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

A member of Palestinian security forces, loyal to Hamas, stands guard at the border area with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 23, 2019. Picture taken June 23, 2019. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1FA4398160

Has Egypt succeeded in calming situation on Gaza border?

An Egyptian intelligence delegation visited the Gaza Strip for the first time in months in a bid to restore calm between Hamas and Israel amid renewed escalation ahead of the Israeli elections.

A Palestinian demonstrator uses a sling during an anti-Israel protest at the Israel-Gaza border fence, in the southern Gaza Strip December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC2PPD972T6H

Egypt shows diplomatic finesse forging Gaza cease-fire

Hamas' agreement to refrain from attacks, for now, puts Gaza on the back burner for Israeli elections.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations in New York, U.S., February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton - RC2FYE9VEIT0

Is Abbas the key to Israeli annexation of West Bank lands?

For Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remaining in power could ease its annexation of West Bank territories.

12 years later, Olmert plan discussions could resume

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in New York to discuss reviving the Olmert plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli swimmer's discovery of Egyptian artifact met with suspicion in Cairo

An Israeli swimmer discovered a 3,400-year-old stone engraved with hieroglyphs last year, but some Egyptian experts have a hard time believing the story.

More Israelis, Palestinians support the 'one-state' solution

With more and more settlements constructed, the 'one-state' solution might be the only feasible one.

Will Jewish left-wing voters support the Joint List in March?

Meretz's alliance with Labor-Gesher has put ardent leftists in an ideological bind, leading some to conclude that the overwhelmingly Arab Joint List might attract some of their votes.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliver joint remarks on a Middle East peace plan proposal in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts? - RC27PE93LVFU

Netanyahu, Trump plant land mine within peace initiative

The Blue and White party believes the land swap idea in the deal of the century is included in Donald Trump's peace plan for one reason: to trap Benny Gantz and create a rift between him and Israeli-Arab voters.

Will Hamas give up its weapons as part of peace deal?

In the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for Hamas to be disarmed, officials from the movement have rushed to react and roll out possible disarming scenarios.

Low chances of success for Abbas’ alternative to US peace plan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas proposed his vision for a peace process with Israel as an alternative to the United States' deal of the century.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 11: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas listens at the United Nations (UN) Security Council in New York on February 11, 2020 in New York City. Abbas used the world body to denounce the US peace plan between Israel and Palestine. Donald Trump's proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which was released on January 28, has been met with universal Palestinian opposition. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Why Palestinians failed at the Security Council

The Palestinians' push for a near-unanimous UN Security Council resolution opposing the Trump plan ran into a number of unexpected roadblocks.

Peace with the region is not a peace plan

The Trump peace plan is flawed because it has more to do with building a coalition against Iran rather than with promoting peace between Israelis and the Palestinians.