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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 12, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:37 pm

31°C

Erik Marmor

Analysis

Once Netanyahu’s top challenger, Bennett loses ground to Eisenkot: What to know

Facing the popular Gadi Eisenkot, the Together party of former premiers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid is sinking in Israeli opinion polls.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli strikes that targeted the hilltops of the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge on Aug. 14, 2026.

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in Ali al-Taher ridge: What to know

The ridge has become a flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon due to its extensive tunnel network Israel says is utilized by the Iran-backed group.

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

TOPSHOT - Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies

Skeptical about the effectiveness of the American economic blockade on Tehran to weaken the regime, Israel is preparing for the possibility that Iran could decide to strike the Jewish state during the upcoming high holidays.

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

Latest News

12 countries including France, UK, Canada end trade with West Bank settlements

West Bank settlements

Katz warns PA against 'Oct. 7-style' attack as West Bank violence rises

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 2025.

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Analysis

LORA missile test reveals limits of Germany’s Gaza criticism of Israel

A woman walks past a model of a Lora missile, Israel's long range artillery missile at the Israel defence stall at the international DefExpo 2008 defence fair, in New Delhi on February 16, 2008. India kicked off South Asia's largest defence fair, with hundreds of global weapons firms offering their latest hardware to the country's technology-hungry military. About 450 weapons companies from 30 countries are present at the four-day "DefExpo" in New Delhi, with several big-ticket announcements expected. AFP P

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

Did Israel’s reaction to BDS drive movement's growth?

Former Ambassador Gideon Meir argues that Israel has engaged itself in a high-profile battle against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, turning it from an insignificant organization into a powerful force.

Yemen’s Jews and the road to Israel

Yemeni Jews who immigrate to Israel are taking with them a large part of what was left of Yemen's religious diversity.

Has the countdown to next Hamas-Israel war begun?

Both Israel and Hamas claim not to want another battle, but both are loudly preparing for one.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the start of their meeting at Muqata Palace in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 24, 2015. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool - RTX1VMS3

Palestinian Authority accuses Israel of incitement

Palestinian officials claim that Israel is refusing to participate in the Committee on Incitement because of its interest in maintaining its own campaign of incitement.

Palestinians walk past graffiti depicting jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti on a section of the controversial Israeli barrier near the Qalandiya checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Ramallah May 25, 2011. Palestinians and Israelis alike saw little prospect of a fresh start to Middle East peace talks on Wednesday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's keynote speech to Congress. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2MVS6

Will this Palestinian be the next Nobel Peace Prize laureate?

Palestinian institutions launched an international campaign in support of the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize of Marwan Barghouti, sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel.

Erdogan, Davutoglu shed tears for Gaza, but do little else

Turkey as well as the oil-rich Gulf states have still not fulfilled their pledges to help with the reconstruction and development of Gaza.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits a military outpost on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights over looking the Israel-Syria border February 4, 2015. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4O8P8

Did Netanyahu miss out on a 'Golan-Iran' deal?

Israeli sources claim that after the Iran deal was negotiated, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu missed out on a historic opportunity to strike a deal on the Golan.

Israeli policemen confiscate Hamas flags during clashes with Palestinians near the Jewish settlement of Bet El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah October 8, 2015. Four people, including an Israeli soldier, were stabbed and wounded near a military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Thursday, police and ambulance sources said, as a rash of such Palestinian attacks spread to Israel's commercial capital. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTS3LE4

'There is no intifada,' say Ramallah residents

In a visit to Ramallah, Israel Pulse contributor Shlomi Eldar heard from residents who expressed a deep weariness with Hamas and other "inciters" to violence.

Have Passover food drives gotten out of control?

Some claim the tradition of donating food to the poor so they can enjoy a generous Passover dinner has turned into a giant, wasteful charity enterprise.

Why President Rivlin supports Israeli-Palestinian confederation

President Reuven Rivlin has not abandoned his right-wing worldview in expressing a pragmatic and moral position in favor of an Israeli-Palestinian confederation.

How one Israeli Arab woman seeks to wipe out hatred

Arab-Israeli activist Ghada Zoabi is trying to restore calm among the Arab population of Israel with a media campaign featuring conciliatory messages from community leaders.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III (C) attends a Christmas service according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar, in the church of Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX219EO

Jerusalem churches: Don't veto Palestine resolution

Middle East and US religious leaders chart path forward for two-state solution.