Israel - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Israel cover image

Israel

June 27, 2026

Tel Aviv 4:25 pm

30°C

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Analysts say the expected vote for recognition is not morally motivated, but intended to spite the Turkish leader.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

The deal establishes a US-facilitated military coordination group to oversee the creation of two initial pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Iran’s military headquarters said it “considers responding to these dangerous actions as its right” after alleging that Israeli jets have been operating in the airspace of neighboring countries near Iran.

Vance

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

The US-Iran decision to launch direct talks between the IRGC and CENTCOM in Qatar deepens the rift between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while heightening Israeli fears that Washington is shifting toward Doha and Tehran.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Explainer

Pro-Palestine Democrats win in NYC elections: What it means

Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King's Theater on June 18, 2026 in New York City.

Analysis

Pilot zones at center of Israel-Lebanon talks as Trump pressures Netanyahu

Lebanese army forces deploy in the village of Bir al-Salasel in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026. Iran's foreign ministry on June 15 said the US must ensure that Israel commits to stopping the war in Lebanon under a deal agreed upon with the US to end the Middle East war. Lebanon was pulled into the conflict in early March when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion. (Pho

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Head of Hamas delegation Saleh Arouri and Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad sign a reconciliation deal in Cairo, Egypt, October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC12DBB41E80

Palestinians ready for major shift in strategy

The US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is seen by many Palestinian leaders as a unique opportunity to seriously work on achieving national unity.

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 21: The voting results are displayed on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly in which the United States declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was declared "null and void" on December 21, 2017 in New York City. The vote, 128-9, at the United Nations concerned Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate its embassy there. The Trump administration has threatened to take action against any country that votes against the United States d

Palestinians not popping Champagne over UN resolution

Following the UN vote against Donald Trump’s Jerusalem proclamation, the Palestinians are taking advantage of the diplomatic momentum to advance the two-state solution; however, without strong backing from the international community, the door will be left open for a religious war instigated by Iran and its allies.

Saudi diplomacy goes on defensive

Saudi Arabia could live to regret its warm ties with US President Donald Trump as his foreign policy threatens to undermine its longstanding position as the defender of Muslims and the Islamic world.

Israeli opposition on the attack

The Labor Party and Yesh Atid finally looked like an actual opposition in joining forces against legislation advanced by the right-wing governing coalition.

Israel's Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (2ndR) the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, gestures as he sits next to Israel's Health Minister, Yaakov Litzman (L) from United Torah Judaism party, and Moshe Gafni (R) a parliament member from United Torah Judaism party, during a meeting at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC142C916550

Israeli parties play to voters in fight over Sabbath

Disagreements within the ruling coalition over a bill mandating the closure of supermarkets on the Sabbath are just the first gentle digs in the coming electoral war.

Trump’s Jerusalem proclamation: A blessing or a curse?

With the erosion of US deterrence under Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking a huge risk by gambling on him for Israel's security.

Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman speaks at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle - LR1ED2J0TAV4F

Liberman, politics and the death penalty

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing possible criminal indictment, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has introduced legislation allowing the death penalty for terrorism convictions to strengthen his own political standing in case of elections.

Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade take part in a military training exercise in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria on January 19, 2015. Iran confirmed today that a general of its elite Revolutionary Guards died in an Israeli strike on Syria that also killed six members of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel adapts to changing strategic reality in Mideast

The Israel Defense Forces believe that excellent intelligence capabilities will determine the fate of Israel’s next war.

No end in sight for Israel's political divide in 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's survival strategy has always been to drive a wedge between the right and the left, and we can expect more of the same in 2018.

Moscow mulls scenarios as Mideast mediator

The United States recently riled up the Middle East with its pronouncement on Jerusalem, giving Russia an opportunity to quietly step up its work in the background on Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

A boy wearing a Santa Claus costume attends a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the northern town of Nazareth, the town of Jesus' boyhood, December 12, 2012. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (ISRAEL - Tags: RELIGION) - GM1E8CD0CSI01

Nazareth celebrates Christmas without usual glitter

Popular Nazareth Mayor Ali Salam first canceled, then uncanceled, the Christmas festivities at Nazareth, the city known as Jesus’ hometown, in response to Trump's Jerusalem declaration. While the festivities went on as usual, very few people joined the celebration.

Palestinian children look out through a bus window as they wait with their family to cross into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing after it was opened by Egyptian authorities for humanitarian cases, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip August 27, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1E970E29C0

Children bear traumatic costs of Israeli-Palestinian gambits

Both Israeli and Palestinian children are paying a high price in lifelong trauma for politicians' violent and careless promises.