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Israel

September 22, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:02 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

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 05: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli president Shimon Peres pose for a photograph with the heads of the parties of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) during a reception marking the opening of the 19th Knesset on February 5, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel.The 120 members of the Knesset included a record 48 new law makers. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Obama's Roadmap for the New Israeli Government

Mazal Mualem sketches a guide to the new Israeli coalition for US Pesident Barack Obama.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks next to a spring water reservoir before taking part in the ritual of "Mayim Shelanu" near Jerusalem March 17, 2013. The water is used to prepare matza, traditional unleavened bread eaten during the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover. Passover commemorates the flight of Jews from ancient Egypt, as described in the Exodus chapter of the Bible. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (WEST BANK - Tags: RELIGION) - RTR3F4JW

Israel Must Integrate Ultra-Orthodox

Akiva Eldar writes that Israel is being distracted from the real ultra-Orthodox issue: Integration into civil society is more urgent than being drafted into the army.

Aviram Yaacov, computer systems coordinator at Ben Gurion University's security department, uses BriefCam's video synopsis programme at the university in the southern city of Beersheba January 16, 2011. As the world becomes increasingly saturated with closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, security experts say offenders can easily slip away simply because no one had the time to find the incriminating footage. Israeli company BriefCam hopes to change that with a new computer programme, called video synops

Israelis Develop "Business for Peace" Projects with Palestinians

Ben Gurion University of the Negev invites researchers to submit proposals for its "Business for Peace" competition to support the Palestinian economy, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Members of the Palestinian security forces stand guard by the burial site of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 7, 2007. November 11 marks the anniversary of Arafat's death. REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel (WEST BANK) - RTX2EI

Why Obama Should PlaceA Wreath at Arafat’s Grave

Daoud Kuttab calls on US President Barack Obama to pay his respects at the grave of Yasser Arafat when he visits the West Bank next week.

Head of the Bayit Yehudi party Naftali Bennett waves to supporters at his party's headquarters in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv January 22, 2013. Hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged the bruised winner of Israel's election on Tuesday, claiming victory despite unexpected losses to resurgent centre-left challengers. Netanyahu has traditionally looked to religious, conservative parties for backing and is widely expected to seek out self-made millionaire Bennett, who heads the Jewish Home party and stol

Netanyahu's New Strongman

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid may head Israel’s second-largest party, but it is HaBayit HaYehudi chairman Naftali Bennett who actually holds the ''keys to the coalition kingdom'' in his pocket, writes Mazal Mualem.

U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations in New York September 21, 2011. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2RMJ9

The Impossible Conversation Between Netanyahu and Obama

Ben Caspit describes what the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama would look like, if only they were telling each other the naked truth.

Israelis use binoculars to see the fighting in the Syrian village of al-Jamlah, from the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, close to the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria March 7, 2013. Israel voiced confidence on Thursday that the United Nations could secure the release of U.N. peacekeepers seized by Syrian rebels near the Golan Heights, signalling it would not intervene in the crisis. Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognized internati

Syrian Conflict Extends To Border With Israel

Syrian opposition forces are battling for control of regions near the Israeli border, threatening a conflict with that country, reports Nasser Chararah.

Palestinian labourers wait in line to cross into Israel at dawn at Hashmonaim checkpoint near the West Bank village of Nilin, west of Ramallah March 14, 2013. Israel's system of checkpoints and restrictions in the occupied West Bank inflicts long-term damage on Palestinians' ability to compete in the global market, the World Bank said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - RTR3EYTU

Palestine Economy in Crisis, World Bank Reports

According to a recent World Bank report, restrictions put in place by Israel are having a devastating effect on the Palestinian economy, reports Lena Odgaard.

Pinhas Amar, poses for a portrait as he displays a photograph taken when he met the then-U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama after a Palestinian rocket damaged his house, during an interview with Reuters in the southern town of Sderot March 11, 2013. If there is one thing that seems to unite Israelis and Palestinians days before Obama's visit to Israel, the occupied West Bank and Jordan next week, it is their talk of broken promises and lack of hope that he will ever bring peace. Picture taken March 11

Obama's Visit to Israel Offers Rare Opportunity for Palestine

During the US president’s visit to Israel, writes Clovis Maksoud, it's crucial that discussions with the Palestinian Authority include representatives from Gaza, and that Israel be identified as an occupying power.

A book written in Aramaic is seen in a glass case at the Museum of St. George's Catholic Church in Kormakitis, Cyprus May 9, 2010. The Aramaic language of the earliest Christians lives on in the church services of the tiny village on the Turkish Cypriot side of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where a hybrid dialect of Aramaic is commonly spoken by just 1,000 people who are striving to keep it alive. Picture taken May 9. To match Reuters Life! CYPRUS-LANGUAGE/MARONITES REUTERS/Andreas Manolis (C

Aramaic Language Project in Israel Furthers Recognition of Maronites

Shady Khalloul Risha talks to Jacky Hugi about his quest to revive the Aramaic language and recounts the struggle of the Maronites in Israel to be recognized as an ethnic minority.

Israeli Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks to Reuven Rivlin, Knesset speaker, as they attend a pre-election gathering in the town of Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, March 15, 2006. Israel will hold general elections on March 28. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen - RTR177A1

Israel's Likud Breaks from the Past

With the ouster of Reuven Rivlin, the last of the Likud's “blue bloods,” the party has changed from Jabotinskian ideology and its Mizrahi electorate in favor of the settlers, writes Mazal Mualem.

United Nations peacekeepers put on protective gear before driving through the Kuneitra border crossing between Israel and Syria, in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights March 8, 2013. Israel voiced confidence on Thursday that the United Nations could secure the release of U.N. peacekeepers seized by Syrian rebels near the Golan Heights on Wednesday, signalling it would not intervene in the crisis. Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognized int

Israel-Syria Border Becomes Flashpoint

Syria's inability to control its border with Israel has introduced uncertainty and increased chances for the regionalization of Syria's civil war, writes Geoffrey Aronson.