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July 18, 2026

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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

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.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in front of Jewish youths in Jerusalem 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 January 22 election. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Netanyahu and Israel's Crisis of Democracy

Ben Caspit discusses how a recent incident involving Israel's representative to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, reflects an increasingly oppressive atmosphere in Jerusalem, where critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to remain silent.

Hotovely: The New Young Face of the Likud

Mazal Mualem interviews Tzipi Hotovely, who represents the new wave of religious right Likud members who believe strongly in Greater Israel.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (L) and Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed Al-Hindi celebrate what Palestinians say is a victory over Israel after an eight-day conflict, during a rally in Gaza City November 22, 2012. A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers took hold on Thursday after eight days of conflict, although deep mistrust on both sides cast doubt on how long the Egyptian-sponsored deal can last. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: MILITARY CONFLICT POLITICS)

Iran Top Backer Of Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The latest war with Israel revealed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's improved military capabilities, mostly due to continued Iranian support, Abeer Ayyoub reports from Gaza.

Former Soviet Union immigrants attend a pre-election campaign rally in the central Israeli town of Holon March 15, 2006. Israel's most influential electoral bloc is saying "Nyet" to interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just days before his Kadima party is expected to win a general election. Picture taken March 15, 2006. To match feature ISRAEL-ELECTION-RUSSIANS REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

Who's Afraid Of Israeli-Russian Voters?

Israeli politicians fail to understand the choice of many Russian immigrants to live simultaneously in both worlds, writes Lily Galili.

Ahmad Tibi (R), member of Knesset, the Israeli parliament, attends the funeral of George Habash, founder of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Amman January 28, 2008. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN)

Ahmad Tibi: No Apologies For Being a 'Palestinian Patriot'

In an interview with Shlomi Eldar, Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi realizes that he infuriates many Jewish Israelis, but he has no plans to apologize.