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Israel

September 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:27 am

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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

Layla al-Issawi holds a picture of her son Samer, who has been on hunger strike for 209 days while being held in an Israeli prison, at her home in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya February 17, 2013. The European Union on Saturday called on Israel to improve conditions for Palestinians in its jails, and a Palestinian minister said there would be rallies next week to support hunger-striking prisoners. Nearly 5,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, many charged with involvement in attacks on

East Jerusalem Village Residents Claim Harassment by Israel

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours reports on complaints of harassment by residents of the east Jerusalem village of Issawiya, home to Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi.

North Korean soldiers attend a rally celebrating the country's third nuclear test at the Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang February 14, 2013 in this picture taken and released by the North's official KCNA news agency. North Korea conducted nuclear test on Tuesday. Korean characters read,"(We) celebrate ardently success of the third underground nuclear test!". REUTERS/KCNA (NORTH KOREA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY

Israel Fears North Korea to Become Nuclear Supplier of Middle East

The nuclear test conducted by North Korea delivers a message to Iran and to other potential customers in the region, writes Alon Ben David: Why work hard to develop a bomb if you can simply buy one off the shelf?

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 10, 2013. Iran's nuclear ambitions, the civil war in Syria and stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts will top the agenda of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Israel, Netanyahu said on Sunday. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DKO7

Israel-Palestine Interim Agreements Block Final Deal

Israelis and Palestinians have negotiated one interim arrangement after another, but a final-status agreement has yet to be reached, writes Akiva Eldar.

A protester walks past a graffiti during a march at Tahrir Square in Cairo, February 11, 2013. The march, was organized by Egyptians who oppose Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi and members of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood on the second anniversary of the resignation of veteran President Hosni Mubarak. The arabic words read, "After the revolution - let them speak" (L), "Before the revolution - let them play" (R). REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3DN7J

Israelis Begin to See Continuity In Mubarak, Morsi Policies

The Israelis seem to miss deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose concept of peace was not much different from that of his successor, Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, writes Jacky Hugi.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem September 20, 2011. Netanyahu leaves for New York on Wednesday to address the United Nations where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is pursuing a bid for full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2RL9O

Meridor Saddened by Likud's 'Ultra-Nationalist' Turn

Dan Meridor, a former "prince” of the Likud Party, comments to Mazal Mualem on the right-wing turn in the Likud Party and his doubts regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to lead an important diplomatic process.

Israeli Officials Consider 'Point of No Return' With Iran

Nadav Eyal looks at the decisions facing both the United States and Israel should the forthcoming round of nuclear negotiations with Iran fail.

John Kerry, the new U.S. Secretary of State, holds the diplomatic passport he was issued at eleven years old, while greeting employees of the State Department in Washington February 4, 2013. Kerry's father, Richard, was a U.S. Foreign Service officer in Berlin after World War II. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3DCG4

Kerry Puts Middle East First

Geoffrey Aronson writes that, in the absence of a strategy for dealing with the Middle East, seeking advice from leaders in the region can be compared to listening to the inmates in an insane asylum, where useful advice is in short supply.

Palestinians hold placards depicting prisoner Samer al-Issawi, who has been on hunger strike for 209 days, during a protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah, calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, February 17, 2013. The European Union on Saturday called on Israel to improve conditions for Palestinians in its jails, and a Palestinian minister said there would be rallies this week to support hunger striking prisoners. Nearly 5,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, many cha

Hunger Striker Samer Issawi Invisible to Israeli Society

Shlomi Eldar wonders about the political impact of Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi's hunger strike, going on for more than 200 days.

Debris from a bus that was damaged in a bomb blast on Wednesday is seen outside Burgas Airport, about 400km (248miles) east of Sofia July 19, 2012. A suicide bomber carried out an attack that killed seven people in a bus transporting Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, the country's interior minister said on Thursday, and Israel said Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants were to blame. Video surveillance footage showed the bomber was similar in appearance to tourists arriving at the airport, Interior Minister Tsveta

Burgas Is the Latest Chapter In US-Hezbollah 'Spy Wars'

Hezbollah has recently been implicated in last summer’s Burgas bombing, a step that Jean Aziz describes as another installment in the "spy wars" between the Lebanese Shiite group and Washington.

The Jewish settlement of Halamish is seen in the background as a stone-throwing Palestinian protester stands on a garbage bin during clashes with Israeli security officers at a weekly protest against the settlements, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah February 1, 2013. U.N. human rights investigators called on Israel on Thursday to halt settlement expansion and withdraw all half a million Jewish settlers from the occupied West Bank, saying that its practices could be subject to prosecutio

Palestinian Attacks on Settlers Signal a Shift in Tactics

Attacks by Palestinians against Israeli settlers have increased in recent years, requiring a shift in Israeli strategies to protect settlers in the West Bank, reports Adnan Abu Amer.

Tel Aviv Calling, Mr. Obama

US President Barack Obama should skip the dismal visits to tombs and monuments in Jerusalem in his forthcoming visit to Israel and drop by Tel Aviv instead, writes Ben Caspit.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the economy after touring Linamar Corporation that manufactures parts for the truck industry in Arden, North Carolina, February 13, 2013. Obama visited the facility on Wednesday to promote economic policies outlined in his State of the Union speech. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TRANSPORT BUSINESS) - RTR3DQPD

Palestinians Not Optimistic About Obama Visit

As US President Barack Obama prepares to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their respective capitals, Palestinians do not expect any progress on the peace process, reports Hazem Balousha.