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Israel

September 19, 2026

Tel Aviv 9:05 pm

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on as he attends a trade agreement signature ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 24, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to capitalize on Riyadh's need for intelligence assistance to make normalization headway ahead of the October elections.

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

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

Serbia opens factory to assemble Israeli-made drones: What to know

Serbian President Vucic said the factory will put together “state-of-the-art” Israeli-designed drones and employ around 100 workers.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

Latest News

Culture

Israeli show ‘Fauda’ tops Netflix in Lebanon, hits top 10 across Arab states

ISRAEL-ENTERTAINMENT-TELEVISION-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-MASS-MEDIA-D (L to R) Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, co-creators of the hit Israeli TV show "Fauda", attend a demonstration against the Israeli government's plans to shut-down public broadcaster KAN, in Israel's Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on January 25, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

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

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Israel's President Shimon Peres (R) meets head of the Bayit Yehudi party Naftali Bennett at Peres' residence in Jerusalem January 31, 2013. Peres began talks with political parties on Wednesday over who should form a new government and appears certain to ask incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to assemble it. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3D6TK

Bennett Spins Again On Palestinian Prisoner Release

HaBaYit HaYehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett has criticized the prisoner release, but is not going so far as to jeopardize his seat as Israel’s Economy and Trade minister.

Shuafat refugee camp is seen behind a section of the controversial Israeli barrier in the West Bank near Jerusalem July 27, 2013. Israeli and Palestinian officials put forward clashing formats for peace talks due to resume in Washington on Monday for the first time in nearly three years after intense U.S. mediation. It is unclear how the United States hopes to bridge the core issues in the dispute, including borders, the future of Jewish settlements on the West Bank, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the

Peace Demands Palestinians Recognize Israel as 'Jewish State'

Former Israeli Cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser responds to Nabeel Kassis: Only recognition of Israel as the home of the Jewish nation, alongside a Palestinian state, can lead to a historic compromise.

U.N. envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi (R), is welcomed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari after arriving at Baghdad International Airport October 21, 2013. International envoy for Syria Brahimi was in Baghdad on Monday to discuss dates for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Syria. Brahimi said no date had yet been set for the long-delayed conference. International efforts to end the 2-1/2 year conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people have stuttered. But a deal last month for Syria to get r

Syria’s Race Against Time

UN-Arab League Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi presses for Geneva II, while Saudi women are on the road again.

Rassan Alian.jpg

Druze to Command IDF Infantry Brigade

The appointment of Col. Rassad Alian as the Golani Brigade's commander sharpens the contrast between the allegiance of the Druze to Israel, and the discrimination they suffer in terms of budgets and infrastructure.

Israeli Media DiscriminateAgainst Women in Politics

A report composed by women journalists reveals that the Israeli media relate to female politicians in a sexist manner, especially those of Middle Eastern or North African origin.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Greece's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras shake hands during a Government-To-Government (G2G) meeting in Jerusalem October 8, 2013. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX143OX

Israel Looks Beyond the Region For Strategic Partners

Confronted by a gloomy strategic environment, Israel has found new foreign policy partners in Azerbaijan, Greece and India.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat waves as he campaigns for mayoral elections in Jerusalem October 22, 2013. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTX14JPP

Jerusalem Mayor's Re-Election Setback for Liberman

The victory of incumbent Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in the municipal elections does not bode well for Knesset members Avigdor Liberman and Aryeh Deri, who placed their bets on his opponent.

A boy stands near an Israeli flag in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah July 18, 2013. Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which have ebbed and flowed for two decades, last broke down in late 2010, after a partial settlement halt meant to foster talks ended and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to extend it. Palestinians familiar with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' thinking speculated he might now forgo the demand for a settlement moratorium given

Why Palestinians Should Not Recognize Israel as Jewish State

A former Palestinian negotiator argues that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state is an attempt to discourage agreement.

Former Palestinian presidential election candidate Mustafa Barghouti holds a young girl during a rally in Hebron. Former Palestinian presidential election candidate Mustafa Barghouti (L), who is secretary general of al-Mubadara Palestinian National committee, holds a young girl during a rally in the West Bank City of Hebron January 14, 2005. REUTERS/Nayef Hashlamoun - RTRKJ5J

Mustafa Barghouti Garners Support Among West Bank Youth

Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti offers an alternative to the veteran Fatah and Hamas movements, preaching against corruption and for democracy and transparency.

A battered teddy bear belonging to Ina Rennert, a 75-year-old Holocaust survivor, is displayed with a picture of her as a child at the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem April 17, 2011. Rennert had handed over to Yad Vashem for safekeeping the toy she says she once clung to as a little girl while hiding from the Nazis in Poland during World War Two. Thousands of aging Israeli survivors have answered a call by Yad Vashem to hand in Holocaust-era keepsakes to preserve their memory for future gen

Israel Debates Holocaust Education For First Graders

The proposal by Israel's education minister to introduce the Holocaust into the first-grade curriculum has sparked an ethical debate about the role these studies play in shaping Israeli society.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat (C) walks after praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City October 23, 2013. Barkat won re-election on Wednesday in a hotly contested race that dealt a political blow to his challenger's main backers, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the ultra-Orthodox Shas party. REUTER/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTX14KZG

Palestinians Again BoycottEast Jerusalem Elections

Voter turnout among Palestinians varied drastically among regions for municipal elections in Israel on Oct. 22, amid a near-comprehensive boycott in east Jerusalem.

Palestinian children hoping to cross into Egypt, look out of a bus window at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip October 8, 2013. Egypt partially reopened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip for four days on Tuesday for the humanitarian needs of patients seeking treatment, and students studying outside of Gaza, a Palestinian official said. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SOCIETY IMMIGRATION) - RTX143OA

Solidarity Visits to Gaza Dwindle

International solidarity delegations to Gaza have struggled to enter the territory since Egypt's tightening of its blockade, cutting off a vital source of essential medical assistance.