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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:44 pm

21°C

AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Pakistan military chief holds Iran talks, Israel's Netanyahu fears being left out

US President Donald Trump's comment that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would do "whatever I want” is troubling the premier's inner circle ahead of the elections in October.

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

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Ireland joins EU push to ban trade with Israeli settlements amid flotilla backlash

European frustration with Israel intensified this week after a far-right Israeli minister posted a video of the mistreatment of international activists detained in the country.

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Israel targets Turkey charity amid Gaza flotilla tensions

The request, published in Israeli media, marks a further escalation in tensions with Turkey amid disputes over Gaza aid operations.

Latest News

Interview

Ahmad Tibi says Arab parties in Israel can block Netanyahu without joining next government

Arab-Israeli Knesset member Ahmed Tibi takes part in a demonstration against rising crime rates against Arab-Israelis in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 31, 2026.

Ahmad Tibi

Ahmad Tibi

Israeli Arab lawmaker

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

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)

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

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.

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 Syrian army soldier stands at a checkpoint at the Quneitra crossing between the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria, seen from the Syrian side in Quneitra, Syria March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1B4F2B5A00

Iran’s seeming restraint on Golan Heights puts Arab rivals in tough spot

Iran’s adoption of a low-profile position on Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights appears to be a calculated move to maximize Iran's regional interests.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas chairs a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on November 15, 2018. (Photo by ABBAS MOMANI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Hamas violence may chill anti-Abbas alliance with PLO leftists

Hamas’ crackdown on Gaza Strip protesters demanding a better life has troubled the party's relations with left-wing PLO factions — relations that have grown since the anti-occupation March of Return took off a year ago.

Golan residents unhappy, yet unsurprised by US decision

Golan Heights residents were dismayed but not altogether shocked by the US president's sudden decision to recognize Israel's annexation of their homeland.

Israeli fashion industry prays for new finance minister

Israeli fashion companies blame Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon for a collapse in the local industry, but the tax exemption accorded to online purchases from abroad is unlikely to be repealed.

Netanyahu's bankrupt Gaza strategy

The latest rocket attacks from Gaza and the regularity of air raid sirens in southern Israel prove that the Israeli government's strategy of blockading Gaza is a failure.

Israel should see Abbas as a partner for peace

Israeli right-wing politicians actually hope for an outburst of violence in the West Bank, even if all politicians know that there is a path to peace with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin join hands in celebration of the signing of the ÒTreaty of Peace Between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of IsraelÓ at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 26, 1979. Courtesy Jimmy Carter Library/National Archives/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. PLEASE SEARCH "FROM THE FILES - 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF EGYPT-ISRAEL PEACE TRE

Why Israelis ignore 40th anniversary of peace with Egypt

Forty years after Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the peace treaty, Israelis sideline this achievement and prefer to ignore that relations with an Arab nation can change.

Streaks of light are pictured as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from the Israeli side of the border March 25, 2019 REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1BAFEB0A50

Gaza rocket rattles Netanyahu’s campaign

The rocket that hit a home in the center of Israel and wounded seven citizens also shook Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Mr. Security image and rocked his election campaign, yet he's far from defeated.

A police sapper inspects a damaged house that was hit by a rocket north of Tel Aviv Israel March 25, 2019. REUTERS/ Ammar Awad - RC1D84B33280

Gaza and Blue and White put Netanyahu on the defensive

As Israel’s most experienced campaigner, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to realize that the days leading up to the election could be lethal to his image as Mr. Security.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) walks after Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion between U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia in the 2016 election on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC12779FD760

House Democrats skeptical of Trump’s Golan Heights shake up

Republicans want to codify President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights into law, but even the staunchest pro-Israel Democrats have reservations.

Palestinian policemen loyal to Hamas stand guard at the site of a Hamas-run insurance office after it was destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC1FD529B5A0

Intel: Why Netanyahu can’t go too far in responding to Hamas rockets

Israeli guards crack down as Palestinian prisoners rebel

Palestinians reject new measures taken against them in Israeli prisons, most notably the installation of electronic jamming devices suspected of causing cancer.