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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 17, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:17 pm

27°C

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a session of the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on July 16, 2026, before the start of the election recess ahead of the Oct. 27 general election.

Analysis

Trump's ‘180-degree reversal’ on Lebanon, Syria leaves Netanyahu with few options before elections

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes an Israeli withdrawal from two pilot zones in southern Lebanon will help ease tensions with President Donald Trump.

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

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.).

Latest News

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

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)

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

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is seen on a screen as he speaks to his supporters during a rally to commemorate Martyrs' Day in Beirut, February 16, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DVBX

Nasrallah Threatens Israel Again

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has again threatened Israel, but the threats may stem from Hezbollah's fortunes declining as a result of the war in Syria, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) leaves the Likud-Yisrael Beitenu headquarters in Tel Aviv January 23, 2013. Hawkish Prime Minister Netanyahu emerged the bruised winner of Israel's election on Tuesday, claiming victory despite unexpected losses to resurgent centre-left challengers. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3CTC8

Netanyahu Victory Leaves Out Likud

The Likud's poor showing in the elections has left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with only a few portfolios to distribute among his own party's members, writes Mazal Mualem.

An Israeli police officer stands in front of Palestinian and foreign protesters gesturing from inside a vehicle after they were detained in an area known as "E1", which connects the two parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank outside Arab suburbs of East Jerusalem January 15, 2013. Israeli police, using stun grenades, blocked about 50 Palestinian activists who tried on Tuesday to reoccupy tents they pitched last week on a patch of West Bank land which Israel wants for Jewish settlements. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Israeli Settlement Expansion Casts Cloud Over Obama Visit

Israel's green light to proceed with building new settlements ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit dampens expectations for change, writes Dalia Hatuqa.

A woman is seen through a coffee shop window as she reads an article about Ben Zygier in an Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in Jerusalem February 15, 2013. Zygier, the Australian immigrant reported to have been recruited by Israel's Mossad spy agency, was charged with grave crimes before he committed suicide in an Israeli jail, one of his lawyers said on Thursday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTR3DTPG

Israeli Censorship in the Digital Era

Israel’s failed attempt to block information about the arrest and suicide of Mossad agent Ben Zygier causes Shlomi Eldar to return to his childhood and the BBC’s Arabic News.

An Israeli soldier atop a tank looks at air force fighter jets circling overhead an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) staging area in the northern Gaza border November 21, 2012. Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (ISRAEL - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS TRANSPORT TPX IMAGES O

The Israeli Press, Military Censorship, and 'Foreign Sources'

Israel enjoys freedom of press in all areas, except when it comes to military and security matters, which explains the proliferation of "foreign sources," writes Reuven Pedatzur.

An Israeli army officer (C) grabs a camera from Reuters cameraman Yusri al-Jamal as he prevents him from covering news events in the West Bank city of Hebron January 2, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer (WEST BANK) - RTR2302T

The Case for Israeli Censorship

Ben Caspit writes that even if Israel is, in fact, the only democracy in the world with military censorship, it is also the only democracy continuously fighting for its existence.

Smoke trails are seen as a rocket is launched from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel November 17, 2012. Palestinian militants fired a rocket at Tel Aviv on Saturday but it was intercepted in mid-air by a newly deployed Israeli anti-missile battery and caused no casualties or damage, police said. REUTERS/Majdi Fathi (GAZA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR3AJ3H

Israel Seeks to Curb Weapons Flow to Gaza

Israel is coordinating with Egypt to stop the flow of weapons into the Gaza Strip from Sudan, by way of Libya and Egypt, reports Adnan Abu Amer.

Layla al-Issawi holds a picture of her son Samer, who has been on hunger strike for 209 days while being held in an Israeli prison, at her home in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya February 17, 2013. The European Union on Saturday called on Israel to improve conditions for Palestinians in its jails, and a Palestinian minister said there would be rallies next week to support hunger-striking prisoners. Nearly 5,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, many charged with involvement in attacks on

East Jerusalem Village Residents Claim Harassment by Israel

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours reports on complaints of harassment by residents of the east Jerusalem village of Issawiya, home to Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi.

North Korean soldiers attend a rally celebrating the country's third nuclear test at the Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang February 14, 2013 in this picture taken and released by the North's official KCNA news agency. North Korea conducted nuclear test on Tuesday. Korean characters read,"(We) celebrate ardently success of the third underground nuclear test!". REUTERS/KCNA (NORTH KOREA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY

Israel Fears North Korea to Become Nuclear Supplier of Middle East

The nuclear test conducted by North Korea delivers a message to Iran and to other potential customers in the region, writes Alon Ben David: Why work hard to develop a bomb if you can simply buy one off the shelf?

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 10, 2013. Iran's nuclear ambitions, the civil war in Syria and stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts will top the agenda of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Israel, Netanyahu said on Sunday. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DKO7

Israel-Palestine Interim Agreements Block Final Deal

Israelis and Palestinians have negotiated one interim arrangement after another, but a final-status agreement has yet to be reached, writes Akiva Eldar.

A protester walks past a graffiti during a march at Tahrir Square in Cairo, February 11, 2013. The march, was organized by Egyptians who oppose Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi and members of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood on the second anniversary of the resignation of veteran President Hosni Mubarak. The arabic words read, "After the revolution - let them speak" (L), "Before the revolution - let them play" (R). REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3DN7J

Israelis Begin to See Continuity In Mubarak, Morsi Policies

The Israelis seem to miss deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose concept of peace was not much different from that of his successor, Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, writes Jacky Hugi.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem September 20, 2011. Netanyahu leaves for New York on Wednesday to address the United Nations where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is pursuing a bid for full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2RL9O

Meridor Saddened by Likud's 'Ultra-Nationalist' Turn

Dan Meridor, a former "prince” of the Likud Party, comments to Mazal Mualem on the right-wing turn in the Likud Party and his doubts regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to lead an important diplomatic process.