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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 13, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:24 am

25°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

Herzog pushes Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic envelope

Isaac Herzog has presented in Israel and in France a new relevant diplomatic plan, which could bypass the current diplomatic stalemate while offering Israelis security.

Members of the Israeli transgender community march during the annual Gay parade in Jerusalem on June 25, 2009. More than 2,000 people took part a toned down Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem which drew only muted protest, in contrast to the violent controversy the event had stirred in the past. AFP PHOTO/MARCO LONGARI (Photo credit should read MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images)

How one controversial Tel Aviv clinic is helping transgender youth

A special clinic in Tel Aviv has quietly treated transgender youths for the last three years while Israeli society gradually warms to the idea of gender reassignment.

Palestinian, Israeli and Christian foreign activists confront Israeli soldiers as they walk towards Beit al-Baraka, a church compound, situated between the Al-Arub refugee camp and the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank during a demonstration condemning the Israeli occupation, on August 15, 2015. AFP PHOTO / HAZEM BADER (Photo credit should read HAZEM BADER/AFP/Getty Images)

Israeli land grab threatens Palestinian church

Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land is in the spotlight once again, this time for annexing the Beit al-Baraka church to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank after a shady deal over its ownership.

Israel's defense minister plays the moderate card

While Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon is treated as a hero for his temporary refusal to let settlers invade two houses in Hebron, let's not forget his past and certain future support for the settlement enterprise.

Who is Israel's 'responsible adult'?

In a society that veers right and within a party ruled by supporters of the settlers, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon defends law, order and democracy, as an heir to the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

Arab restaurateurs feel bite of settlers' blacklist

The Samaria Settlers Committee, financed by Israeli taxpayers, has launched a defamatory campaign to boycott Arab-Israeli businesses they accuse of supporting terrorism.

Is storm over settlements in Bibi’s coalition a sign of things to come?

Instead of supporting Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who ordered the evacuation of two buildings illegally seized by settlers, most Likud ministers have sided with the settlers or kept silent.

Why Israelis love their cars more than the environment

The government has committed to reducing private cars, but its scattered expansion of Israeli suburbs and haphazard public transportation planning continue.

Israeli opposition leader: 'Peace will have to wait'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Zionist Camp and opposition leader Isaac Herzog discusses his new plan to restore security while waiting for the right time to resume pursuit of a two-state solution.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini speaks during a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, November 9, 2015. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich - RTS655Y

EU shuts down pro-Israel congressional hawks

The EU’s top diplomat dismisses congressional attacks against its settlement labeling policy.

Why an Abbas departure would be bad for Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prefers a weak Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but at the same time needs him to stay in power.

Why one former IDF chief of staff may be heading for politics

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has just been cleared of a five-year legal affair and might be considering joining Israeli politics.