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Israel

September 23, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:58 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

U.S. President Barack Obama smiles during remarks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington, March 4, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

Israel and Obama's New Plan For the Middle East

President Obama has a new plan for the Middle East: to both revive the peace process and deal with Iran and nuclear proliferation, writes Ben Caspit.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal waves to Palestinian student during his visit to the Islamic University in Gaza City December 9, 2012. Hamas's vow to vanquish Israel after claiming "victory" in last month's Gaza conflict vindicates Israel's reluctance to relinquish more land to the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the Islamist Hamas movement, made a defiant speech before thousands of supporters in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, promising to take "inch-by-

Meshaal to Lead Hamas for Third Term

After promising to not seek a third term, Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal has reversed his decision as a result of several factors, including regional changes relating to the Muslim Brotherhood’s ascension to power in major Arab countries, writes Omar Shaban.

Outgoing Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi (C) waves to soldiers as he leaves after a handover ceremony in which he was replaced by the new Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz (L) at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv February 14, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)

Defense Chiefs Distrust Israeli Political Leadership

Recent revelations about the relations between former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak imply that the defense establishment questions the capabilities of the Israeli political leadership, writes Alon Ben David.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a conference in the coastal city of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv January 13, 2013, ahead of the Israeli general election due January 22. REUTERS/ Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS)

Netanyahu Needs A Partner From the Center

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs not only right-wing parties in his next coalition, but also a center party partner — thus, minimizing pressure from the international community on one hand, and leaving him with some maneuver space from within the coalition on the other, writes Nadav Eyal.

Palestinians, together with Israeli and foreign activists, demonstrate as they walk around newly-erected tents in an area known as E1, near Jerusalem January 12, 2013. Palestinians from villages in the occupied West Bank near Jerusalem pitched tents on Friday on the land Israel has earmarked for a new urban settlement, looking to preserve the area for an independent Palestinian state. REUTER/ Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Young Palestinian Activists Seize Initiative at Bab Al-Shams

The grassroots Palestinian move to erect an outpost in an area wanted by Israel for illegal settlements could be the start of a new tactic, Daoud Kuttab writes.

Naftali Bennett, head of the Beit Yehudi (Jewish Home) party, campaigns at a bar in the southern city of Ashdod December 27, 2012. A Palestinian state would be suicide for Israel, says Bennett, a high-tech millionaire who heads a far-right party whose popularity has been the surprise of the country's election campaign. Picture taken December 27, 2012. To match Interview story ISRAEL-ELECTION/BENNETT REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

New Generation of Political Stars Under Spotlight of Israeli Elections

The new generation of young Israeli political stars will be tested in the current campaign and beyond, writes Mazal Mualem.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks inside a free-electron laser (FEL) during a visit at the Ariel University Centre in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel January 8, 2013. Israel upgraded the Ariel campus to a university last month, a move that has put the school at the centre of a debate at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: how the settlements will figure in defining a future Palestinian state. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS EDUCATION)

Israeli College in West Bank a Setback For Two-State Solution

Dalia Hatuqa analyzes the consequences of Israel accrediting Ariel University in the occupied West Bank with official university status.

A pedestrian walks past campaign posters depicting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv January 7, 2013. Three Israeli centrist and left-leaning parties have failed in an initial attempt to form a united bloc that might have cut into Netanyahu's opinion poll lead before the Jan. 22 election. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Iran Not a Priority For Most Israeli Voters

Israeli voters are more concerned about domestic politics than the threat from Iran, Meir Javedanfar explains.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits after delivering a statement in Jerusalem November 21, 2012. Netanyahu hinted on Wednesday that if an Egyptian-brokered truce with Islamist militants in Gaza did not work Israel would consider "more severe military action" against the Palestinian territory. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT)

Netanyahu's Real Headache Will Begin Day After Elections

Once the elections are over, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to choose whether to create a narrow coalition with the ultra-Orthodox, or try to persuade reluctant center-left parties to join a wider coalition, writes Nadav Perry.

Former centrist Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni gestures during a news conference in Tel Aviv November 27, 2012. Livni announced on Tuesday she would challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Jan. 22 election by running for office as head of a new political party she vowed would "fight for peace." REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Peace Missing in Israeli Campaign Ads

Mazal Mualem reports on the first night of campaign election ads and observes slogans, a sharp right turn and the absence of "peace."

Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem November 15, 2011. Israel's economy is in a relatively good situation but the central bank is ready to lower interest rates further if growth is less than expected as a result of a deterioration in advanced economies, Fischer said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: BUSINESS)

Bank of Israel Governor Calls for Higher Taxes

The governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, concerned over a possible fiscal cliff, urges the next government to do the right decision: raise taxes, despite the heavy political price, writes Idan Gribaum.

A general view of Ambarli gas-fired power station in Istanbul January 8, 2009. Production at three Turkish power stations has been halted as a Russia-Ukraine gas row had led to a shortage of gas supplies to Turkey, an Energy Ministry source told Reuters on Thursday, but this would not create a power supply problem, he said. On Tuesday Russian gas supplies coming via Ukraine to Turkey were completely cut, although some supplies are still coming via a pipeline which passes directly from Russia under the Black

Turkey-Israel Tensions Set Back Turkish Energy Interests

Tulin Daloglu writes that Ankara’s poor relations with Israel are hampering its energy interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.