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Israel

September 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:14 am

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ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

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

An Israeli soldier uses a pair of binoculars by the entrance of Marwahine village in south Lebanon September 27, 2006. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON)

Israel's Elections Linked to Its Arab Policies

Historically, there has been a close relationship between Knesset elections and the way in which Israel has conducted its regional foreign policy towards the Arabs, writes Jean Aziz.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (front row 2nd L) waves during a rally marking the U.N. General Assembly's upgrading of the Palestinians' status from "observer entity" to "non-member state", in the West Bank city of Ramallah December 2, 2012. Israel said on Sunday it was withholding this month's transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, after the United Nations' de facto recognition of a Palestinian state. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Israel Keeps Palestinian Authority on Life Support

Adnan Abu Amer examines Israel's attitudes and policies toward the Palestinian Authority, and its interest in keeping the PA weakened but alive.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address during inauguration ceremonies in Washington, January 21, 2013. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

Obama Speech Suggests Modest Foreign Agenda for Second Term

Judging from his comments in his second inaugural address, Barack Obama’s foreign policy over the next four years will not be particularly ambitious, including in the Middle East.

Likud-Yisrael Beitenu activists sit atop a wall surrounding Jerusalem's Old City after they hung a campaign banner depicting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu January 20, 2013. Netanyahu said on Saturday a country with as many enemies as Israel cannot afford a weak ruling party, after polls ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary election showed a slide in his support. The banner reads "Only Netanyahu will protect Jerusalem". REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The Unnatural Alliance Of Likud-Beiteinu

The merger of the Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu parties seems an uneasy fit, writes Lily Galili.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Jerusalem January 22, 2013. Israelis voted on Tuesday in an election widely expected to win Netanyahu a third term in office, pushing the Jewish State further to the right, away from peace with Palestinians and towards a showdown with Iran. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

After the Israeli Elections, The Need for a Peace Process

Nassif Hitti considers the prospects for a new approach to the Middle East after the Israeli elections.

Jordan's King Abdullah (L) listens next to U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 17, 2012. The two leaders met to discuss advancing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS)

Arabs Should Test Obama On Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Arabs should soon test whether the second Obama administration is serious about Israeli-Palestinian peace, writes Clovis Maksoud.

Likud-Yisrael Beitenu activists sit atop a wall surrounding Jerusalem's Old City after they hung a campaign banner depicting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu January 20, 2013. Netanyahu said on Saturday a country with as many enemies as Israel cannot afford a weak ruling party, after polls ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary election showed a slide in his support. The banner reads "Only Netanyahu will protect Jerusalem". REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Netanyahu's Third Term: Last Chance to Make History

After being re-elected and before beginning the task of forming a coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would do well to redefine his goals and his vision for his third term in office, writes Nadav Perry.

U.S. President Barack Obama is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, DC January 20, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

Obama Should Review US Middle East Policy

Clovis Maksoud writes about the state of US-Israel relations and the hope that the second Obama administration will pursue a viable peace process.

Palestinians walk past a blast wall with graffiti in the West Bank city of Hebron January 13, 2013. Entrenched in what they view as their Biblical heartland, the hardline Jewish settlers of Hebron look forward with delight to next week's Israeli election. Picture taken January 13, 2013. To match ISRAEL-ELECTION/SETTLERS REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Israeli Elections: Apathy in Gaza, Apprehension in West Bank

While Gaza seems to ignore the Israeli elections, Palestinian leaders in the West Bank worry about the emergence of a right-wing coalition government, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Kosher cellular phones, imported and distributed by Israeli Accel Telecom, are displayed at the company's offices in Tel Aviv May 2, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of cellphones, popularly dubbed kosher because they block access to services frowned upon by ultra-Orthodox rabbis, have been operating in the Jewish state for more than five years. Last month, Israel's second largest mobile provider, Partner introduced what it hailed as the world's first Yiddish cellphone, manufactured by Alcatel-Lucent. Picture ta

Robocalls Playing Bigger Role In Israeli Elections

Mazal Mualem presents the 2013 model of Israeli elections, where the digital world has driven out the old world of billboards and speeches on town squares.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, March 5, 2012. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Can Obama Protect Israel from Itself?

Ben Caspit calls on President Obama to set the boundaries for Israel.

A worker installs a banner depicting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv January 17, 2013. Netanyahu looks set to form a new governing coalition after next week's election, polls show, with the only question being whether he wants to soften its hardline contours. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Would Obama Ever Tell Netanyahu 'You’re on Your Own'?

Akiva Eldar wonders what would happen if President Barack Obama ever told Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was on its own.