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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 20, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:30 am

28°C

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

Lebanese civilians and supporters of Hezbollah take part in a candle light vigil in solidarity with people who died in a car bomb that occurred on last Thursday in Beirut's southern suburbs August 19, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX12R0W

Hezbollah-Hamas Relationship Strained

News reports suggest that Hezbollah's relationship with Hamas is under more pressure than ever, which is good news for Israel.

Israel's armed forces Chief Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi (L) and Turkey's Chief of General Staff General Ilker Basbug pose prior to a meeting in Ankara March 15, 2010. Ashkenazi is in Turkey to attend the Global Terrorism and International Cooperation Symposium. REUTERS/Turkish Army Press Office/Handout (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - RTR2BOE7

Turkish-Israeli Military Ties Damaged by Ergenekon Trial

The Ergenekon trial has made it clear to the decision-makers in Jerusalem that the Turkish army will no longer be able to serve as a bridge between the two countries.

Israel pic.JPG

Knesset Member Wants Fellow Arab-Israeli MPs to Get in the Game

Arab Israeli Knesset member Issawi Frej explains the backstory of his joining a left-wing Zionist political party.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) checks his watch as he attends a wreath-laying ceremony with Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel (R) at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara August 1, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX126WW

Erdogan’s Israel Remark Brings Condemnation, Ridicule

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Israel of being behind the coup in Egypt, thus exposing himself again to criticism and ridicule.

Barcelona President Sandro Rosell (R) and Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub shake hands after addressing members of the media at the start of a visit by the soccer team at the Palestinian President's office in the West Bank town of Bethlehem August 3, 2013. Barcelona is on a two-day "Peace Tour" in the region, which will include conducting soccer clinics for young people.
REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: SPORT SOCCER) - RTX129MC

Israel Sidelines Palestinian Soccer Players

The head of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, feels betrayed by Israel's refusal to grant permission to players from Iraq, Jordan and the UAE to enter the Palestinian Authority.

Israel's President Shimon Peres (R) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold Barcelona soccer jerseys as they stand in front of the players during a reception at Peres' residence in Jerusalem August 4, 2013. The Spanish league champions are making a brief stopover in Israel and the Palestinian territories en-route to a pre-season tour of Asia. REUTERS/Lior Mizrahi/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS SPORT SOCCER TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX12A43

Israeli Left Must Stop Waiting For Its 'De Gaulle'

Israeli’s public apathy to negotiations shows its inability to connect the Iranian nuclear threat to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and the country wasting its resources in “a futile war.”

File photograph of Palestinian President Arafat, Israel's Perez and Israeli Prime Minister Rabin showing their Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was in a coma and in critical condition in the intensive care unit at a French military hospital after his health suddenly deteriorated, aides said November 4, 2004. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, (L) Israel's Shimon Perez (C) and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin show their Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in this December 10, 1994

Evaluating the Oslo Accords: 20 Years Later

The inability of Israelis to decide whether the Oslo Accords were an achievement or a failure may be proof that peace is not likely to arrive very soon.

The Dome of the Rock (L), the Western Wall (C) and the Mughrabi Gate (R) entrance to the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, and to Jews as Temple Mount, are seen in Jerusalem's Old City March 7, 2011. Israel has given preliminary approval for renovations at the contested holy site in East Jerusalem where rebuilding has triggered violence in the past, a city official said on Sunday. Municipal planners last week approved the project to repair an earthen ramp near the Mughrabi Gate connecting the

Will Jerusalem Derail Talks Again?

As secretive Palestinian-Israeli negotiations continue, the final status of Jerusalem remains the thorniest of issues.

An Israeli flag (L) flutters next to an Egyptian one at the Nitzana crossing, along Israel's border with Egypt's Sinai desert, as seen from the Israeli side August 20, 2013. Egypt began three days of official mourning for 25 policemen killed on Monday by suspected Islamist militants in the Sinai near the desert border with Israel. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12RGM

Israel Needs Better Grasp Of US Concerns on Egypt

Israel’s efforts to get the Obama administration to hold back on its response to the killing of hundreds of demonstrators in Egypt signifies a dearth of any deep understanding behind US policy and its underlying values.

Tourists enjoy the hot weather at Vari beach, some 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Athens July 21, 2013. Foreign tourists are returning to Greece's sun-drenched islands and ancient temples, central bank data showed on Friday, boosting hopes that the key sector may help the crisis-hit country pull itself out of a severe economic recession. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (GREECE - Tags: ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS TRAVEL SOCIETY) - RTX11TYN

Keeping Sane During an Israeli Summer

For Israelis, traveling abroad equals a therapeutic exercise, leaving behind the habit of constantly listening to news casts and the burden of an ongoing existential stress.

Ultra-Orthodox and Left-Wing Israelis Join Forces in Opposition

The odd-couple collaboration between the opposition ultra-Orthodox Yahadut HaTorah and left-wing Meretz might someday expand from their social justice struggle to diplomatic issues as well.

Destroyed Egyptian armour lines the sides of a Sinai road after it was hit by Israeli jet fighters during the 1967 Six Day War. [In six days Israel took control of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Sinai and the Golan Heights as well as "unifying" Jerusalem by capturing East Jerusalem and the Old City, thus increasing Israel's land mass dramatically. It also became burdened with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians along with the land it captured.] Israel celebrates its 50th Golden Jubilee anniversary on Apr

Peace Is Israel's Best Security Guarantee

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should look back to the peace agreement with Egypt, which proves that compromise strengthens Israel's borders and guarantees its security.