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Israel

September 15, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:04 am

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Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Weeks before key Israeli elections, a dozen nations announced new trade restrictions targeting settlements in the West Bank, delivering a sharp rebuke to Israel's government that could presage additional international pressure.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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)

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

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.

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

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement to the media from the Colonnade outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington September 1, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2HSTC

What is Obama's secret weapon against Bibi?

It’s hard to understand why President Barack Obama doesn’t translate the criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s congressional speech into action, such as hinting at a change in his position on the Israeli nuclear program.

Here comes Bibi!

Congress turns its attention away from other business this week as it prepares for the addres of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper (R) and CIA Director John Brennan (L) listen to opening remarks at the House Intelligence Committee on "Worldwide Threats", in Washington February 4, 2014. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX187SF

Turkey has 'other priorities' than battling Islamic State

US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper does not expect Turkey to become "more engaged" in the anti-Islamic State coalition; are al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, or Assad and Hezbollah, a greater threat to Israel?; Israeli prime minister expects to "cash in" on Iran nuclear deal on March 17; Al-Monitor launches a series focused on women in the Middle East.

Televised debate reveals torn, divided Israel

The latest TV Channel 2 election debate exposed the growing schism within Israeli society, with party leaders trading accusations and insults.

People pray during the funeral of 20-year-old Palestinian man Jihad al-Jaafari in the West Bank city of Bethlehem February 24, 2015. Israeli soldiers shot dead al-Jaafari in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the military and a Palestinian hospital official said. Residents of the Deheishe refugee camp in Bethlehem said Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who had entered the area and the troops opened fire. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the Palestinians hurled rocks, blocks and firebombs at

Shooting of Fatah activist could doom security cooperation

The security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is in jeopardy after Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Fatah activist in the Dheisheh refugee camp.

A tank belonging to the forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is seen in the Quneitra city countryside on September 8, 2014 during a battle with rebels, near the border fence with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in this picture released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT,

Why did Israel decide to support Syrian rebels?

After four years of fighting in Syria, Israel no longer seems neutral, and though the Israeli security establishment won't discuss it with the public, signs actually indicate that Israel has chosen to support the Sunni rebels.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges applause as he arrives to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in Washington, March 4, 2014. Netanyahu urged world powers on Tuesday not to allow Iran to retain the ability to enrich uranium, saying it must be stripped of all nuclear technologies with bomb-making potential. REUTERS/Mike Theiler (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3G15H

AIPAC objects to Netanyahu's Congress address

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress might be his last major card to play before the March 17 elections, which is why he is determined to deliver it despite objections at home and by AIPAC.

Women sit at a cafe beside a real estate broker's office in Netanya, a city of 180,000 on the Mediterranean north of Tel Aviv, that has become the semi-official capital of the French community in Israel January 20, 2015. For Jews coming to "the Jewish state" from all corners reached by the diaspora, the move may bring relief, but it also raises challenges: a new language and culture, unfamiliar social codes and the difficulty of finding a job. With anti-Semitism rising in France, and their worries stoked by

Netanyahu focuses on Iran, neglects housing crisis

Benjamin Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009 — enough time to set policy and determine priorities — but the state comptroller's recent report reveals that he has failed in addressing the housing crisis.

Palestinians walk near the ruins of houses that witnesses said were destroyed or damaged by Israeli shelling during a 50-day war last summer, on a winter day east of Gaza City February 20, 2015. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY) - RTR4QE85

One man's return to Gaza

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the journalist Majdi Arbid, who fled Gaza eight years ago, tells of the dire situation he encountered when he returned.

Parliament member Masoud Ghanem speaks at a news conference held by Arab-Israeli parliament members and other candidates, announcing a joint political slate of all the Arab parties which will be running in the upcoming elections, in the northern city of Nazareth, January 23, 2015. Four political parties that mostly represent Israel's Arab minority have decided to run together in elections on March 17, creating a potential counter-weight to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies. Opinion

Will Israeli Jews vote for Joint List?

The predominately Arab joint list has opened a second campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv, designed to attract Jewish left-wing voters and increase the slate's visibility within Israeli society.

Israeli parliament member Jamal Zahalka delivers a speech as fellow members of the Arab united list for Israel general elections, Israeli-Arab lawyer Ayman Odeh (L), MPs Masud Ghanayem (2nd R) and Ahmad Tibi (R) listen during a press conference in Tel Aviv on February 11, 2015. For the first time since the creation of Israel in 1948, several Arab Israeli parties have come together to present a united front at the next general elections in March AFP PHOTO/GIL COHEN-MAGEN (Photo credit should read GIL

Joint List leaders must seize momentum

Israeli Arab experts agree that uniting the Arab parties into one joint list is an achievement in itself, but the political leaders must now seize the momentum to address the issues that preoccupy their constituency.

A view of the northern Gaza Strip as seen from the Israeli farming community of Netiv Haasara September 2, 2014. Israelis living on the Gaza border have warily returned home after fleeing constant mortar and rocket fire during a seven-week war, feeling it is just a matter of time before their villages are targeted again. Picture taken September 2, 2014. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR44YNP

Israeli violations of truce keep Gazans on edge

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports that violations of the truce continue, with Israeli forces still firing across the border, hitting civilians and houses and making the entire area unlivable.