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Israel

September 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:03 pm

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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 ultra-Orthodox Jew places a sticker that depicts Shas party leader Aryeh Deri onto a campaign banner depicting Am Shalem party leader Haim Amsalem during an annual pilgrimage to the gravesite of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, a Moroccan-born sage and kabbalist also known as the Baba Sali, in the southern town of Netivot January 14, 2013. A fixture in successive governments, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party draws its support from the fast-growing community of religious Jews of Middle Eastern origin whose spiritu

Rabbi Amsalem Offers Alternative For Israeli Voters

Rabbi MK Haim Amsalem, one of the real surprises of the Israeli elections, explains to interviewer Mazal Mualem why he rebelled against his mother party, Shas, and called on rabbinical college students to enlist in the army.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answers questions from the audience at the 2012 Saban Forum on U.S.-Israel relations gala dinner in Washington, November 30, 2012. REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

US Fails to Use Leverage With Israel

Daoud Kuttab laments that the US no longer seems able to influence Israeli politics, despite the aid and assistance it provides.

Ultra-Orthodox Shas party campaign stickers depicting party leader Aryeh Deri (R) and spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (L), are seen on a car in Jerusalem January 17, 2013. A fixture in successive governments, Shas, the ultra-Orthodox party draws its support from the fast-growing community of religious Jews of Middle Eastern origin whose spiritual leader is the 92-year-old, Iraqi-born rabbi Ovadia Yosef. According to opinion polls, it will maintain its 11 seats in parliament. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSAL

Ultra-Orthodox Parties Not in Netanyahu’s Pocket

Politicians from the ultra-Orthodox Shas and Kadima center parties might be joining forces to create a bloc against Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu in advance of the elections next week, writes Akiva Eldar.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waves after attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the mausoleum of late Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi November 10, 2012. Ahmadinejad is in Hanoi on a two-day visit to Vietnam from November 9 to 10. REUTERS/Kham (VIETNAM - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)

Will Israel Miss Ahmadinejad?

Nadav Eyal discusses whether Israel will benefit from a new Iranian president, who is likely to be just as committed to Iran's nuclear program and perhaps an even more formidable adversary.

Embarrassment at Israeli President Shimon Peres' house

Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream, explains to interviewer Shlomi Eldar why he challenged the rules of official protocol at the president's house, and protested on behalf of his Palestinian employees who were searched like criminal suspects before meeting the president.

Volunteers harvest Chardonnay grapes at Ferency family's vineyard near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Bat Ayin, south of Bethlehem August 20, 2012. Established in 1993, Ferency's winery produces some 6,500 bottles of kosher wine a year using organically grown grapes. REUTERS/Nir Elias (WEST BANK - Tags: FOOD AGRICULTURE)

EU Trade Sustains Israeli Settlements in West Bank

Despite the EU's outspoken criticism of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, imports from settlements are actually entrenching their existence, Dalia Hatuqa reports from the West Bank.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds up a paper inscribed with his party's initials during a Likud-Yisrael Beitenu campaign rally in the southern city of Ashdod January 16, 2013. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, allied with the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, continues to lead opinion polls ahead of Israel's Jan. 22 parliamentary election. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Bibi’s Choice After Election Will Set Course for Israel

Assuming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes out on top in next week’s elections, his choice about who to include in the governing coalition will affect Israel for years to come, writes Shai Feldman.

A Palestinian stone-throwing protester uses a sling to throw back a tear gas canister fired by Israeli security officers (rear) during clashes after a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah, January 4, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Israeli Security Sources Anticipate Third Intifada

As the deadlock in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians persists, the signs of a popular uprising in the West Bank can already be sensed, writes Reuven Pedatzur.

Reality TV Breaks Barriers Between Israeli Jews and Arabs

Television reality shows have become the only meeting point between Jewish and Arab Israelis, writes Shlomi Eldar.

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)

Palestinians Lose Hope, Interest in Israeli Elections

Daoud Kuttab analyzes the apathy among Palestinians about the upcoming Israeli elections.

Palestinians wave flags 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 TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Israeli Occupation Causes Palestinian Identity Crisis

Israeli occupation and colonization is not only stripping Palestinians of their land, but their identity too, Rana Baker writes.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi (front) sits before testifying at a state-appointed inquiry into the Israeli naval raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, in Jerusalem, August 11, 2010. Ashkenazi acknowledged on Wednesday that his troops were not ready for the violent resistance encountered when they boarded the Gaza-bound aid ship and ended up killing nine pro-Palestinian activists. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)

Political Agenda Seeps Into Israeli Army's Top Brass

There is an effort afoot by right-wing activists in the national religious camp to influence the top Israeli military leadership, writes Akiva Eldar.