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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 17, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:40 pm

31°C

US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Wisconsin Air National Guard facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on July 8, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Vance says Israeli intelligence had ties to Epstein: What to know

Vice President JD Vance has grown more critical of Israel, possibly in an effort to capitalize on changing views among voters with an eye on the 2028 presidential election.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cornerstone laying ceremony for the Atarot Heritage Center at an abandon airport in East Jerusalem near the separation wall with the Israeli occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on July 5, 2026.

Israeli PM Netanyahu 'will not travel' to US next week, his office says

On Wednesday, an Israeli official had told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu was planning to travel on Saturday and meet with President Donald Trump next week and attend the memorial service for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 13: Lebanese people wave flags and hold portraits of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (not pictured) as he arrives in southern suberb of Beirut on October 13, 2010 in Lebanon. The controversial visit is seen as a boost for key ally Hezbollah. According to reports Mr Ahmadinejad may visit the border with Israel - the site of recent deadly clashes between Israeli and Lebanese forces. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)

Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know

The former president, who was a virulent critic of Israel while in office, was reportedly part of a Mossad plan to replace the current Iranian leadership.

Latest News

Analysis

As Trump prioritizes Hormuz, Israel fears Iran rebuilding nuclear program while preserving ballistic missile threat

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

Explainer

Israel's next election: Who's leading in polls and what's at stake?

Israelis turn out to cast their ballots on election day for the 20th Knesset on March 17, 2015 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boy dressed in a special costume as a soldier for Purim stands next to a group of adults in Bnei Brak February 23, 2013. Purim is a celebration of the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3E6W8

Drafting Israel's Ultra-Orthodox: Now or Never

Former Knesset member Yohanan Plesner paved the way for historic change regarding drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews to the IDF, and expresses hope to see this mission completed in an interview with Mazal Mualem.

File written by Adobe Photoshop? 5.2

Ghazi Hamad: Hamas Agrees To Accept State Within '67 Borders

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, the deputy foreign minister of the Hamas government, Ghazi Hamad, explains the far-reaching change in attitudes under way in his movement and the unchanged approach of not recognizing Israel.

Head of Hamas security services Salah Abu Sharekh (L) speaks with senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar (R) during a graduation ceremony for members of Hamas security forces in Gaza City January 2, 2013. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3C1N7

Exclusive: Al-Zahar, Meshaal's Rival, Out of Hamas Leadership

Shlomi Eldar has learned that Mahmoud al-Zahar, a rival of Khaled Meshaal, has been removed from the Hamas political bureau.

Outgoing Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz (R) sits next to incoming Finance Minister Yair Lapid during a changeover ceremony in Jerusalem March 19, 2013. Lapid, who once told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he didn't "know anything about economics," has a golden opportunity to push through much-needed structural reforms to lower the deficit and boost the economy. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR3F6R5

Yair Lapid: Israel's Minister For Facebook Affairs

Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid is busy writing amusing feuilletons on his Facebook page, writes Mazal Mualem, revealing his lack of understanding of the true needs of the country's middle class.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA, ISRAEL - MARCH 28: In this handout image provided by Albatross, The Tamar drilling natural gas production platform is seen some 25 kilometers West of the Ashkelon shore on March 28, 2013 in Israel. The offshore Tamar drilling site which was originally dispatched from a shipyard in Texas at the end of last year is due to start producing natural gas next week. Over the past few years Israel has suffered from a shortage in natural gas, but with the new platform that weighs 34,000 tons and w

Israel's Natural Gas Brings Opportunity, Choices

With natural gas flowing to Israel from the bottom of the sea, the energy revolution is happening while the government delays crucial decisions, writes Idan Grinbaum.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashes a V-sign during the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the Rule of Law at the United Nations headquarters in New York September 24, 2012. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38CV7

Is There Method to Madness Of Nuclear Threats?

Akiva Eldar wonders if there is a rational strategy behind the Iranian and Korean "mad leader" images.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal (L) waves to people as he sits in a jeep beside senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Rafah before leaving Gaza Strip December 10, 2012. Hamas leader Meshaal ended his first visit to the Gaza Strip on Monday with a pledge his Islamist movement would strive to heal political rifts with Palestinian rivals who hold sway in the occupied West Bank. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3BFC0

Why Khaled Meshaal Should Thank Israel

The Israeli military operation in Gaza positioned Khaled Meshaal, head of the Hamas political bureau, to be re-elected to the leadership of Hamas, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media before his flight to Denmark for an official visit at Esenboga Airport in Ankara March 19, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F72Q

Did Erdogan Really Accept Netanyahu's Apology?

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accepted the Israeli apology for the Mavi Marmara incident, but sticks to the same anti-Israeli rhetoric as before, writes Arad Nir.

Book Addresses Forgotten Palestinians of Israel

An updated version of Atallah Mansour's book provides a unique, first-hand look into the experiences of Arab citizens of Israel.

An Israeli flag flutters in the wind as a naval vessel (not seen) escorts the Mavi Marmara, a Gaza-bound ship that was raided by Israeli marines, to the Ashdod port May 31, 2010. Israeli marines stormed the Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday and 10 pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a profound diplomatic crisis. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2ELLI

Will Israel Warm Up To Moderate Islamists?

Mustafa Akyol argues that its recent apology to Turkey shows Israel can find a way toward peace with Islamists.

Israeli Kadima party chairman Roni Bar-on (L) and Transportation Minister Meir Sheetrit attend a Kadima party meeting in Jerusalem January 16, 2006. Ariel Sharon's Kadima party named interim Prime Minister Olmert as its acting chairman on Monday to lead it into Israel's March 28 election, a party statement said. REUTERS/Chris Helgren - RTR1882C

Sheetrit: Ashkenazi Leaders Lack Negotiation Skills with Arabs

In an interview with Mazal Mualem, Meir Sheetrit explains why Israel should have adopted long ago the Arab Peace Initiative.

Israeli Arab demonstrators carry a huge Palestinian flag during a demonstration marking Land Day in the northern town of Sakhnin March 30, 2013. Land Day is the annual commemoration of protests in 1976 against Israel's appropriation of Arab-owned land in Galilee. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY) - RTXY307

Lessons From Land Day

According to Clovis Maksoud, Land Day should remind leaders and the Arab Summit to stress Palestinians' human rights and unity.