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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 15, 2026

Tel Aviv 9:14 pm

28°C

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

A man places signs for Israel and Palestine at the Council table before a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, at U.N. headquarters in New York, July 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR40SYJ

After UN failure, Palestinians reach out to ICC

Israel estimates that the failure of the Palestinians to secure a majority at the UN Security Council stems from a series of tactical mistakes, reflecting the enormous internal pressure to which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is subjected.

A Palestinian protester scuffles with an Israeli soldier during a protest against Israeli settlements in Maasara village near the West Bank city of Bethlehem December 26, 2014. REUTERS/ Mussa Qawasma (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR4JAOJ

Fatah official: Israel settlement policy 'ultimate test' for peace

A senior Palestinian source emphasizes that the settlement policy will be the ultimate test of Israeli peace policies.

Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid (L) and Minister of Economics and Trade Naftali Bennett (2nd L) walk together during the swearing-in ceremony, at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem March 18, 2013. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new governing coalition took office after a parliamentary vote on Monday with powerful roles reserved for supporters of settlers in occupied territory. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F5XP

Israel's new rules for social media in politics

The social network revolution, combined with the 2011 social protest and increased transparency in politics, have pushed aside veteran politicians in favor of fresh senior politicians such as Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett and, lately, Moshe Kahlon.

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman leaves after giving a statement to the media at his Jerusalem office December 2, 2014. Israel appeared to be heading on Tuesday towards an early election after right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his major centrist coalition partner failed to patch up differences. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, told a news conference, "An election is a now a fact." REUTERS/ Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) -

Bibi's rivals suffer scandals

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is surrounded by rivals trying to topple him, yet two of them, Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, must concentrate on their own political survival.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY MAJEDA AL-BATSH
A bus owned by Israeli company Egged, the largest bus operating service in Israel passes old buildings in Jerusalem on December 3, 2014. Many Palestinian bus drivers no longer feel safe behind the wheel of Jerusalem's public buses as threats and attacks from Jewish extremists force many to quit their jobs in fear. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Jerusalem's Arab bus drivers speak out

Jerusalem has seemingly calmed down after several weeks of unrest, but Arab bus drivers tell Al-Monitor that they are constantly subjected to insults and attacks by extremist Jewish passengers.

Netanyahu's calls to Likud too little too late

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has personally asked Likud Party members to support more moderate candidates, he was too late to stop his party from being taken over by settlers and extreme right politicians.

Israeli singer Achinoam Nini, known as Noa perform in the framework of the International Book Fair in Guadalajara, Mexico on December 01, 2013. AFP PHOTO/Hector Guerrero (Photo credit should read HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images)

Where have Israeli intellectuals gone?

Israeli society has lost its past esteem for intellectuals and writers, with celebrities, actors, singers and media figures serving as its moral compass.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 21, 2014. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4IU96

'Anyone but Bibi' is not a diplomatic initiative

Tzipi Livni's past support for right-wing positions on reaching an agreement with the Palestinians requires that she and Isaac Herzog of Labor reveal a genuine plan for renewing talks.

Palestinian children play on a mattress near the ruins of houses which witnesses said were destroyed by Israeli shelling during the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the east of Gaza City December 1, 2014. According to housing minister Mufeed al-Hasayna, Gaza needs 8,000 tonnes of cement a day to meet demand. A new system set up with the United Nations to comply with Israeli requirements lets through at most 2,000, he said. At that rate, reconstruction would take more than 30 years, said Has

Israel must address growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The Israeli leadership must realize that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza increases every day, and react appropriately despite the upcoming elections that might delay a solution by almost half a year.

Europe, US to offer Israel, Palestine economic benefits

The French-British peace initiative will be formally launched after the Israeli elections, offering both sides economic benefits.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - JANUARY 23: (ISRAEL OUT) Former Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman visits the Likud party election campaign headquarters with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) on Janurary 23, 2013 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Exit polls suggested that current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will return to office, although he performed worse than expected. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Livni, Herzog fear the collapse of Liberman's party

Potential allies of Avigdor Liberman, such as Isaac Herzog, Tzipi Livni and Moshe Kahlon, might rethink their political attitude toward him, following corruption suspicions against some of his party members.

To beat unemployment, young Gazans turn to birds

In light of the repeated Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip that have destroyed the local economy, some young Palestinians are breeding canaries to overcome poverty and unemployment.