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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 26, 2026

Tel Aviv 6:07 pm

24°C

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s Shin Bet chief meets Mohammed Dahlan in UAE: What to know

Shin Bet Chief David Zini met in the United Arab Emirates with former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, who is seen by Israel and the United States as a leading candidate to administer the Gaza Strip after the war.

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.

Latest News

Israel targets Turkey charity amid Gaza flotilla tensions

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

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

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 members of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, display home-made rockets during an anti-Israel military parade, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip August 21, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - S1BETWTEIAAA

Is IDF letting Hamas dictate rules of game?

Since Israel fears engaging in another Gaza war, it is reluctant to respond by force against Hamas provocations.

Palestinian supporters of the Hamas movement hold portraits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they shout slogans against the military coup attempt in Turkey, during a demonstration in Gaza City, on July 16, 2016.
Erdogan battled to regain control over Turkey on July 16, 2016 after a coup bid by discontented soldiers, as signs grew that the most serious challenge to his 13 years of dominant rule was faltering. After a night of drama and bloodshed, at least 90 people had died and more than 1,150 pe

Palestinians applaud Erdogan win, pin hopes on Turkey

Palestinians hope Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will cut ties with Israel and focus even more on their cause.

Israelis protest against gender segregation and violence towards women by ultra Orthodox Jewish extremists on December 27, 2011 in the town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem. The protest comes after a wave of incidents in Israel in which women have been compelled to sit at the back of segregated buses serving ultra-Orthodox areas or get off, despite court rulings that women may sit where they please. AFP PHOTO/GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Israelis take two steps forward on equality, then two steps back

Israeli consumers protested against companies segregating men and women or excluding on a racial basis, but the judiciary and government ministries continue to back gender segregation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu climbs out after a visit inside the Rahav, the fifth submarine in the Israeli Navy's fleet, after it arrived in Haifa port January 12, 2016. The Dolphin-class submarines, widely believed to be capable of firing nuclear missiles, were manufactured in Germany and sold to Israel at deep discounts as part of Berlin's commitment to shoring up the security of the country set in part as a haven for Jews who survived the Holocaust. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - GF20000092316

Israel’s nuclear ambiguity policy blocks diplomatic process

There is little hope for peace in the Middle East as long as Israel insists on its ambiguous nuclear policy and refuses to sign disarmament agreements.

Demonstrators hold a placard urging the international community to take action against Israel's settlement policy in the occupied territories as left-wing Israeli and foreign peace activists join Palestinians in a protest in the Arab east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on November 04, 2009. According to Israeli radio, about 200 people protestested in Sheikh Jarrah against what they call the "Judaisation" of Arab east Jerusalem and the ongoing construction of Jewish settlements in the Jerusalem area

Congress seeks to hand off Israel boycott fight to Trump

Congress is taking a third stab at legislation combating boycotts of Israel and its West Bank settlements by passing the buck to the Donald Trump administration.

The Palestinian newspaper Al Quds that published an interview with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser, is displayed for sale in a bookshop in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC1916711990

Kushner peace push undermined by Trump's policies

Jared Kushner’s Middle East peace push is being undermined by a series of administration policy decisions that have alienated both the Palestinian leadership and people.

An Israeli soldier stands next to signs pointing out distances to different cities, on Mount Bental, an observation post in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that overlooks the Syrian side of the Quneitra crossing, Israel May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1D6EF6AF90

Why is Israel propping up Hamas in Gaza?

Israel is implementing a concerted policy of keeping Hamas in power on its southern border so it can focus its energies on threats from the north, especially the Iranian presence in Syria.

Co-leader of the Zionist Union party, Israeli Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog (C), arrives on stage with his wife Michal as he reacts to exit poll figures in Israel's parliamentary elections late on March 17, 2015 in the city of Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party is neck-and-neck with the centre-left Zionist Union, exit polls say. AFP PHOTO / GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Is Israel's Zionist Camp on the brink of breaking up?

The appointment of Zionist Camp senior Isaac Herzog as chair of the Jewish Agency offers Hatnua leader Tzipi Livni the chance of a lifetime to return to center stage.

Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh (2nd R) attends a rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC17C6C8A1E0

Voices in Hamas call for dialogue with Israel

Some prominent Hamas affiliates are publicly calling for low-level talks with Israel to end the Gaza blockade and ease the humanitarian crisis there, a move that also appears to be necessary for the movement to continue to control the enclave.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas walks during a welcoming ceremony for Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela, in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC1B8EF1CC30

How Abbas can tilt Trump's deal in Palestinians' favor

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas should play the US negotiation team's game and demand that the United States follow UNSC Resolution 1515 that was adopted unanimously, instead of refusing negotiations.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley delivers remarks to the press together with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, announcing the U.S.'s withdrawal from the U.N's Human Rights Council at the Department of State in Washington, U.S., June 19, 2018. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan - RC1A7B0F9990

Palestinians cheer US exit from UN Human Rights Council

The US withdrawal from the UN's Human Rights Council has given some Palestinians hope for a stronger pro-Palestinian European role without the United States to hold it back.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu stand next to the dedication plaque of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, after the dedication ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, May 14, 2018. Picture taken May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC199AA3C720

Netanyahu seemingly unfazed by wife's fraud indictment

For the time being, the indictment of Sara Netanyahu for fraud and breach of trust has not damaged the popularity of her husband, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among Israelis.