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Israel

September 4, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:14 pm

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Israeli soldiers arrive in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has faced escalating Israeli settler violence over the past month, on Aug. 29, 2026.

Analysis

As Israeli settler attacks mount, Trump avoids public pressure on Netanyahu

President Donald Trump has stayed silent amid a spate of settler attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know

Israel said the detainees are "civilians who are not members of a terrorist organization" and "were not involved in terrorism," concluding, "There is no reason to continue holding them in Israel."

missile

Analysis

Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk

Israel would prefer to preserve the current balance of pressure — with US naval blockades and economic measures continuing without a return to active fighting — per a senior Israeli security source.

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

Mecca Alliance

Israel, Greece sign $3.5 billion air-defense deal: What to know

Against the backdrop of growing tensions with Turkey, Israel signed one of its largest-ever defense industry deals to supply Greece with advanced air defense systems.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrive for a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Feb. 4, 2025.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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

Israel, Hamas bide their time as Gaza peace plan stalls

A boy walks carrying a table on his back past salvage workers scrapping the rubble of a building that was destroyed during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza City on Aug. 16, 2026. — Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Netanyahu’s dilemma on Hamas

Several signals indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to compromise on the Gaza Strip and reach an agreement with Hamas in order to avoid another escalation.

Islamic Jihad drags Hamas into conflict with Israel

Hamas has joined Islamic Jihad in its escalating conflict with Israel, but also tries setting red lines to limit the escalation.

Construction vehicles prepare the ground as building of a housing project resumes in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel September 27, 2010. Israel let a moratorium on new building in settlements expire on Monday but Palestinians held back from carrying out a threat to quit peace talks, giving the United States more time to try to save the negotiations. REUTERS/Nir Elias (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) - GM1E69R1TWA01

Can plan to annex settlement blocs revive Israel's Labor Party?

Senior Labor Party member Eitan Cabel’s plan for unilateral separation from the Palestinians and the annexation of major settlement blocs has caused a commotion that might actually be good for the party.

Jordan keeps close tabs on southern Syria amid heightened tensions

With reports that Iranian militias have withdrawn from southern Syria and the army is preparing to launch a military assault against rebels there, Jordan fears the cease-fire agreement could be jeopardized.

Netanyahu, Liberman ignore US efforts for peace deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman continue advancing construction in West Bank settlements despite US President Donald Trump’s insistence that he wants to advance a peace deal.

Palestinian cartoonists capture Great Return March in pen and ink

Despite economic and social hardships, Palestinian caricaturists stick to their art as a peaceful means of telling the world about their people's struggle.

Iran-Israel restraint may hinge on nuclear deal

As tensions between Iran and Israel reach new highs, saving the nuclear deal could be the only path to containing further dangerous escalation in the region.

Israel pushes US to recognize Golan Heights sovereignty

Some Israeli senior officials believe the Trump administration might agree to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

A female demonstrator runs for cover during a protest where Palestinians demand the right to return to their homeland, at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip May 25, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1190AE6040

Will Israel, Hamas miss out on chance for deal?

Israel and Hamas are about to miss an opportunity to halt the cycle of violence and make a deal for lifting the siege and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri speaks during an annual pilgrimage to the gravesite of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, a Moroccan-born sage and Kabbalist also known as the Baba Sali, on the anniversary of his death in the southern town of Netivot, Israel January 18, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1D6D2F92F0

The little-known minister who is keeping Netanyahu’s coalition together

Until Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri is sure that his Shas Party will pass the voter threshold, he will do everything he can to prevent early elections.

Palestinian Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Cairo on January 14, 2009 after ending a round of talks with Egyptian officials. Hamas has accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal to end the war in the Gaza Strip and Cairo is awaiting Israel's response, a senior Egyptian diplomat told AFP today. AFP PHOTO/CRIS BOURONCLE (Photo credit should read CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images)

How Israel is using Hamas to crack down on Palestinian demonstrators

Hamas has been trying to present itself as the leader of the Great Return March protests to the dismay of many Palestinians, who believe that this gives Israel more credibility and grounds to use violence against peaceful demonstrators dubbed as terrorists.

Yahya Sinwar leader of the Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, speaks during a protest east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on April 6, 2018, demanding the right to return -- meaning Palestinian refugees being allowed to go back to the land they fled or were expelled from during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. - Clashes erupted on the Gaza-Israel border a week after similar demonstrations led to violence in which Israeli force killed 19 Palestinians, the bloodiest day since a 20

Can Hamas spin itself out of crisis?

Recent remarks by Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar about Iran assisting the movement to grow stronger are intended to sideline criticism within the Gaza Strip against it, and to pressure Israel into accepting a long-term cease-fire.