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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 28, 2026

Tel Aviv 4:39 pm

25°C

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Hungary’s parliament voted to remain in the International Criminal Court, reversing a planned withdrawal and marking a shift in Budapest’s approach to Israel and the EU.

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Odeh was killed in a Tuesday strike in the Palestinian enclave just days after he assumed his leadership position.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Analysis

'Very bad news’: Israel alarmed as Trump pushes ahead toward Iran deal

Israel fears that Iran could emerge from the war strengthened by access to its frozen financial assets and regional acceptance of its dominance over the Strait of Hormuz and potentially resume its nuclear program.

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

Latest News

Israel strikes near Lebanon’s Qaraoun dam as war intensifies: What to know

A partial view shows a drainage vacuum hole on the lake of Qaraoun in Lebanon's southern Beqaa Valley on April 5, 2019.

US gave Israel 'tacit agreement' to target senior Hezbollah figures

A view shows a Lebanese flag positioned among shattered concrete and twisted rebar, remnants of a destroyed building, in Sidon, Lebanon, on May 3, 2026.

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

JOSEPH EID/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

The topsy-turvy world of Jewish-Arab relations

Despite evidence of a serious deterioration in relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, one researcher contends that Israeli Arabs continue to show a strong link to a Jewish and democratic Israel.

Gaza bypasses Rafah crossing to import goods

Food and basic goods have reportedly been brought into Gaza via an unofficial crossing as the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave worsens.

Culture Alert: March salutes women of all nationalities and sizes

Many cultural activities in March focus on women, as artists and muses, in addition to the search for identity. Also of note is the first cooperation between the Louvre and the National Museum of Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Israel's defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman (L) during a special Cabinet meeting to mark Jerusalem Day in 1Ein Lavan Spring located in the outskirts of Jerusalem 02 June 2016. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool - S1AETHOLEQAC

Netanyahu may be facing his last stand

The fate of the Israeli coalition depends to a large extent on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.

Israeli protest movements fighting for the money: Settlers win, Black Panthers fail

A new Israeli television series tells the contradicting stories of two parallel protest movements that erupted in the 1970s: the Black Panther movement with its social protests, and the Gush Emunim settlement movement.

An Israeli soldier guards one of the entrances of Bir Zeit University near Ramallah during an operation in search for members of Islamist Hamas movement's on June 19, 2014. Israeli troops arrested some 30 Palestinians in the West Bank overnight as they ramped up a massive search for three teenagers believed kidnapped by Hamas, the army said. AFP PHOTO/ ABBAS MOMANI (Photo credit should read ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Israeli security forces posing as journalists endanger press

An Israeli commando accused of impersonating Israeli journalists to arrest a student on a university campus could make reporters' jobs harder and more dangerous on both sides of the conflict.

Kosher inspector Aaron Wulkan examines a fish in the kitchen of a catering business to check that it is kosher, ensuring that the food is stored and prepared according to Jewish regulations and customs, in Bat Yam, Israel October 31, 2016. Picture taken October 31, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - S1BEUKRRAFAB

Rabbis seek to break monopoly on Israeli kosher certification

Tzohar rabbis offer an alternative to restaurants and hotels that want a kosher certification but are fed up with the Chief Rabbinate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes the stage to speak at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington, DC, U.S., March 6, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC11A23DC500

Slew of anti-Palestinian bills points to impending Israeli elections

The numerous anti-Palestinian bills pushed forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition are signs that the right is preparing for early elections.

Israeli settlers hold country hostage to their ideology

Americans and Israelis are hostage to powerful single-interest lobbies like the National Rifle Association and the right-wing settlement movement, which do not represent broad public opinion.

Israel's Labor Party quietly hemorrhages support

Despite the legal scandals facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Labor Party has taken a nosedive in the polls as possible early elections loom.

Palestinians change tack on Trump

Palestinian leaders appear to have made a deliberate decision not to respond to every pro-Israel statement out of the White House.

Netanyahu's freedom now on the line

Now that Nir Hefetz, the former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has turned state's witness against his former boss, it appears to increase the likelihood the Netanyahu era is coming to an end.