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Israel

September 20, 2026

Tel Aviv 2:03 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

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (2nd L) gives the opening remarks during the Defense Ministers' Meeting with Deputy Secretary General Alexander "Sandy" Vershbow (L) at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, February 21, 2013. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is attending the NATO meetings and holding bilateral meetings with other defense officials. REUTERS/Chip Somodevilla/Pool (BELGIUM - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR3E2RV

Is There Role for NATO In Israel-Palestine Peace Process?

Many “ifs” remain about a NATO role in a final Israeli-Palestinian settlement, if there is one, but the option may be there.

Palestinians buy sweets in Jerusalem's Old City ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, August 7, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: RELIGION FOOD) - RTX12D0X

Will Eid al-Fitr Bring Hope For Arab World?

Eid al-Fitr is being celebrated with an especially heavy heart this year, with massacres still taking place in Syria, hatred in Egypt boiling over and the closure of Gaza continuing.

Israeli Arab men take part in a demonstration in support of the deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in the northern village of Kafar Kana July 13, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTX11LTN

Israeli Arabs' Views Reveal Gap With Political Leaders

Polls suggest that Israeli Arabs feel attached to their country, but their political leaders do little to strengthen that feeling or fight to improve their rights.

Aryeh Deri (C), leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, attends an annual pilgrimage to the gravesite of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, a Moroccan-born sage and kabbalist also known as the Baba Sali, in the southern town of Netivot January 14, 2013. Powerful political players for years, Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties must now reckon with a new force ushered in by voters bent on stripping them of perks they have relied on for decades. Picture taken January 14, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS

Ultra-Orthodox Shas Party Flourishes in Opposition

The chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Aryeh Deri, is working closely with left-wing and Arab parties, creating an unexpected but efficient opposition.

Netanyahu Must Prepare Israelis for Peace

If the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations yield an agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must harness all his powers of persuasion to win the support of the Israeli public.

Palestinian children play near a section of the controversial Israeli barrier in Shuafat refugee camp in the West Bank near Jerusalem July 29, 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 Palestini

A Thorough Reassessment Of US Policy Is Required

The United States needs to reassess its policy after Israeli moves to continue settlement activities threaten to derail the negotiation process.

Houses are seen in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Har Gilo, near Jerusalem 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 a recent slowdown

Israeli Government Makes West Bank Settlements a National Priority

The Israeli cabinet approved the national development priority map, adding to it more settlements in the West Bank.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws a red line on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. The red line he drew represents a point where he believes, the international community should tell Iran that they will not be allowed to pass without intervention. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38I7P

Is Netanyahu Preparing To Bomb Iran?

Is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “the weakest leader Israel has ever had,” about to make the historic decision to bomb Iran?

Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid gestures as he speaks during the opening of the summer session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem April 22, 2013. Lapid is seeking spending cuts of 18 billion shekels ($5 billion) and tax increases of 5 billion shekels as part of the 2013-2014 budget framework, a spokeswoman for Lapid said on Monday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTXYVXA

Lapid: The Political Novice Who Never Makes Mistakes

The reaction of Finance Minister Yair Lapid to the fiasco surrounding the appointment of a new governor of the Bank of Israel appears to show his inability to accept criticism.

Knesset Member: Netanyahu Ready For Agreement With Palestinians

Israeli Knesset member Tzachi Hanegbi claims that Israel is ready for concessions with the Palestinians, enabling the government to deal with its real threat, Iran.

Fans of FC Barcelona cheer as the team leaves the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City 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/Oliver Weiken/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS SPORT RELIGION SOCCER) - RTX12A38

FC Barcelona Teaches Lesson of Coexistence

The legendary FC Barcelona soccer team enthused the West Bank and Israel during its peace tour on Aug. 3-4.

Pic Amb Yaakov Levy with Saul Singer.jpg

Retired Israeli Diplomat Warns Of Deteriorating Ties With EU

Retired Israeli Ambassador Yaakov Levy has sharply criticized Israel’s policy on Europe, a warning to Jerusalem that it had better examine its actions.