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Israel

September 22, 2026

Tel Aviv 9:14 pm

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Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

No meeting has been announced between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York.

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

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

Latest News

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

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

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.

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 Defence Minister Ehud Barak (L) and his Greek counterpart Dimitris Avramopoulos watch a military parade at the Defence Ministry in Athens January 10, 2012. REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis (GREECE - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2W3DY

Israel-Turkey Strategic Ties Show Signs of Thawing

Jean-Loup Samaan writes that the Israel-Turkey split is not really grounded in substance but rather in the personal ties of their leaders, and that a thaw may be in the works.

Israeli army Chief of staff Moshe Yaalon stands in front of a fighter jet at Natzarym air base in this handout photo. Outgoing Israeli army Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon stands in front a fighter jet at the Natzarym air base in Israel May 23, 2005 in this handout photo released by the Israeli Defence Force press office. REUTERS/IDF/Handout - RTRC6I8

New Israeli Defense Minister Seeks Leaner, Smarter Force

Budget cuts offer the new defense minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon an opportunity to complete the visionary process he began as chief of staff: to shrink the clunky land army and make the IDF more relevant, given the challenges it faces, writes Alon Ben David.

Erdogan Softens Zionism Remarks As Obama Lands in Israel

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s attempt to clarify earlier remarks on Zionism may aim in part to repair ties with the United States, which have also been strained by Ankara's refusal to hand over an al-Qaeda official to US authorities, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Prefabricated homes are seen in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Eli, south of Nablus March 17, 2013. U.S. President Barack Obama is due to make his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories this week, looking to improve ties after sometimes rocky relations with both sides during his first term in office. Israeli settlement expansion lies at the heart of much of the rancour between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Obama, who has said the U.S. does not accept the legitimac

Palestinians Tire of Israeli 'Games' on Settlements

Palestinians are tired of being fooled, and want President Barack Obama to press Israel on its illegal settlements, Daoud Kuttab writes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) gestures as he speaks during the first cabinet meeting of the 33rd Israeli government, in Jerusalem March 18, 2013. 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/David Vaaknin/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F5ZH

Netanyahu's New Security Team Lacks Experience

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet meetings will now include new, inexperienced members, and it is with them that he will have to make fateful decisions, writes Mazal Mualem.

U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with children before he signs a guest book at the residence of Israel's President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, March 20, 2013. Making his first official visit to Israel, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday unwavering commitment to the security of the Jewish State where concern over a nuclear-armed Iran has clouded U.S.-Israeli relations. REUTERS/Larry Downing (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F8AE

Obama's Real Reason For Visiting Israel

President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel is not motivated by a desire to win over the Israeli public, writes Akiva Eldar, but rather by the need to salvage the standing of the United States as an influential power in the region.

Israeli schoolchildren hold the Israeli and American flags during a rehearsal for U.S. President Barack Obama's visit at his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres' residence tomorrow, in Jerusalem March 19, 2013. Obama is due to begin his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Wednesday, looking to improve ties after sometimes rocky relations with both sides during his first term in office. REUTER/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F75E

Iran, Not Peace Process, Obama's Real Agenda in Israel

President Barack Obama's visit will not revolve around peace but around war, argues Ben Caspit, as the US president comes to synchronize the atomic clocks on Iran.

Mariam Farhat, a Hamas woman candidate for the upcoming Palestinian parliament, is seen in front of a large mural of her three dead sons inside her house in Gaza December 8, 2005. The Islamic militant group Hamas has chosen the mother of three "martyrs" who died fighting Israel to run for Palestinian parliament in a race where Hamas will likely pose a tough challenge to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem Pictures of the Month December 2005 - RTR1AJ4O

'The Mother of Martyrs' Leaves Bloody Legacy

With the death of the “Mother of Martyrs,” Mariam Farhat, who sent her sons to commit suicide attacks in Israel, Shlomi Eldar hopes that her legacy of bloodshed will not survive her.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations in New York September 21, 2011. Netanyahu said Wednesday that direct negotiation was the only way to achieve a stable Middle East peace and the Palestinian effort to secure U.N. recognition of statehood ''will not succeed.'' REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GM1E8BQ1LQZ01 - RTR2RMH8

Obama’s March Madness in the Middle East

President Barack Obama will realize on his trip this week that Israeli and Palestinian leaders do not have an interest in a peace process, writes Alon Pinkas.

A coder works in the Mojang company office in Stockholm January 21, 2013. A pool table, a pinball machine, board games and Lego dot the offices of Mojang, the small Swedish company behind the wildly popular Minecraft video game, and one of its founders is wearing a tuxedo and purple tie on a recent "formal Friday". The atmosphere reflects the independent spirit that has contributed to the raw identity of the game that has just sold 20 million copies. The founders want to keep it that way. Mojang, the Swedis

Israel's First Bedouin Startup

Ibrahim Sana is determined to change the lives of Bedouin high-tech graduates and has set up a new venture: the “Software Tester Enterprise,” reports Tali Heruti-Sover.

Former US president Jimmy Carter is seen at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado August 26, 2008. U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) is expected to accept the Democratic presidential nomination at the convention on August 28. REUTERS/Chris Wattie (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA) - RTR21Q1O

What Carter Can Teach Obama About Mideast Peace-Making

If President Barack Obama has no set objectives in his forthcoming trip to the region, he should learn from Jimmy Carter and get serious about Middle East diplomacy, writes Geoffrey Aronson.

An Israeli policemen wearing a belt with rubber bullets stands near Palestinian protesters during clashes at a demonstration denouncing a U.S.-made film that mocks the Prophet Mohammed, near Damascus Gate outside Jerusalem's Old City September 14, 2012. Israeli police, some on horseback, used stun grenades and made a number of arrests outside Jerusalem's Old City as a few dozen demonstrators tried to march on to the nearby U.S. consulate. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR37Y

Israel's Use of 'Crowd Control' Weapons Faces Scrutiny

Israeli forces are using "crowd-control" weapons which can severely injure or kill, Jillian Kestler-D'Amours reports.