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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 21, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:59 pm

27°C

Gargash

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

"We need a new mindset that these sort of discussions ... can happen at an Iranian-American level, it should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level," Gargash told Al-Monitor.

United Arab Emirates

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.

Latest News

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

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

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

Labor Knesset Member: Israeli Parliament Becomes Irrelevant

Knesset member and Economic Affairs Committee Chairman Avishay Braverman presents a disturbing picture of an enfeebled and sick Knesset, pointing a blaming finger at the current government as a dysfunctional partnership.

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Arens listens during a press conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen (L) at the Pentagon April 27. The two defence ministers answered questions about the Middle East peace process and Israel's cooperation in the Kosovo crisis.

GMH/ELD/AA - RTRUC7L

Israel's Former Defense Minister Supports Dermer as Ambassador

Former Defense Minister Moshe Arens rejects criticism of Dermer’s appointment as Israel’s ambassador to Washington.

An Israeli soldier sits atop a tank near the Quneitra border crossing between Israel and Syria, on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights July 3, 2013. Israel is bolstering its forces on the once-quiet frontier with Syria where it believes Lebanese Hezbollah militants are preparing for the day when they could fight Israel. Picture taken July 3, 2013. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX11IMD

Israel Needs 'Neutral Bunker' Policy

In the face of recent turmoil and intense violence in the Middle East, the best choice for Israel is to stay out of the conflicts — or more precisely, be neutral.

Palestinians react as a stun grenade was thrown towards them during clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protestors during a demonstration for Nakba (Catastrophe) day near Damascus Gate at Jerusalem's old city May 15, 2013. Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and at East Jerusalem on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when Israel's creation caused many to lose their homes and become refugees. REUTERS

Israeli Arabs Watch Egypt From Awkward Vantage

Egypt's popular revolution is making Israel an oasis of stability in the region, leaving Israeli Arabs torn.

Palestinian labourers work on the construction of a synagogue as an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beitar Ilit, near Bethlehem March 18, 2013. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new governing coalition prepared to take office after a parliamentary vote on Monday with powerful roles reserved for supporters of settlers in occupied territory. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION RELIGION) - RTR3F5G0

EU Stance on Settlements Pleases Palestinians

Palestinian efforts to obtain support from the European Union bore fruit this week with the adoption of economic sanctions against the settlements.

A Jewish settler recites morning prayers before some families began moving out of the Ulpana neighbourhood of the Beit El settlement near the West Bank city of Ramallah June 26, 2012. Settlers on Tuesday began moving out of apartment blocs that Israel's Supreme Court ruled had been built illegally on Palestinian-owned land, after reaching an agreement with the government to go quietly. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR34608

EU Right on Sanctions On Israeli Settlement Trade

A man carrying a water container on his head walks in front of a wall filled with graffiti depicting deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi with a message reading "Leave", at Tahrir Square in Cairo July 14, 2013. Egypt's interim prime minister filled senior posts on Sunday in a cabinet that will lead the country under an army-backed "road map" to restore civilian rule following overthrow of Mursi. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX11MQ5

Egyptian Revolution Broadcast in Hebrew

Events in Egypt are now being interpreted in the Israeli news media, and on social media, by Hebrew-speaking Egyptians who are shattering the image of the Arab world in Israel.

The Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu stands in front of separation wall during a protest against controversial Israeli security barrier in East Jerusalem. The Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu who was freed from prison in April stands in front of the separation wall during a protest against the controversial Israeli security barrier in East Jerusalem August 27, 2004. The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi told Palestinian protesters at Israel's West Bank barrier on Friday that the wall r

Israel’s Plague of Self-Censorship

A series of new academic studies reveals that the self-silencing and mouth-muzzling phenomenon regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has turned into an Israeli plague.

Palestinian women walk past Israeli border policemen as they cross at Qalandiya checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Ramallah, on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan July 12, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: MILITARY RELIGION) - RTX11KOH

Palestinians Celebrate Ramadan in Israel

The initiative of allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank to visit Israel’s parks and beaches this month is intended to foster a sense of coexistence and to send a message to the isolated Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.

Protesters take part in a rally calling for social justice and a lower cost of living in Rabin square in Tel Aviv October 29, 2011. About 20,000 people marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening and then gathered at Rabin square in the first protest after about two months following a wave of social protests around Israel. REUTERS/Daniel Bar On (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS) ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL - RTR2TE9N

Israeli Social Justice Movement Switches Gears

Israelis no longer flock to the streets, yet the social protest is far from over and can still bring about political transformation.

Palestinians wait as they fill tankers with fuel on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip July 8, 2013. Armed men launched a series of attacks on Sunday on security checkpoints in the North Sinai towns of Sheikh Zuweid and El Arish close to Egypt's border with Israel and the Gaza Strip, and one soldier was killed. The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza Strip remained closed since Friday. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY ENERGY) - RTX11GFQ

Hamas Isolated, Exposed To Israel Post-Morsi

Hamas fears Israel may take advantage of its newfound isolation.

An Israeli security forces member stands by as a Jordanian helicopter starts to lift off to take U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Amman, in Jerusalem, June 29, 2013. Kerry was bound for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, Jordan. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX115RJ

US Outs Israel on Syria Attack? Blame Edward Snowden

Why are the Americans providing the international media with information about alleged covert Israeli operations while the Europeans are ratcheting up the settlement boycott?