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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 21, 2026

Tel Aviv 5:30 am

22°C

Former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot gives a press conference in Tel Aviv, on December 4, 2018.

Can political novice Eisenkot defeat Netanyahu in upcoming elections?

The former military chief of staff is emerging as the prime minister's strongest rival in upcoming elections, overtaking former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in recent polls.

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

The latest ceasefire in Lebanon leaves Netanyahu squeezed between Washington and domestic pressure.

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

Latest News

'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Get

Explainer

Ben-Gvir's move to run separately in Israel elections revives debate over party alliances

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir takes part in the Jerusalem Day celebrations on May 14, 2026, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Analysis

'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Turkey, Israel battle over Temple Mount

Israel is looking into the increased flow of donations from Turkey into Muslim groups active on the Temple Mount.

Israeli president stands up against Arab discrimination

In a letter to the prime minister and the Knesset, President Reuven Rivlin pleaded with Benjamin Netanyahu to remove a clause in the proposed Nationality Law that would make it legal to deny Arabs the right to live in Jewish villages.

Likud leadership loses touch with base as it panders to ultra-Orthodox, far right

A poll on progressive Judaism indicates that most Likud supporters follow a more moderate line than the radical one espoused by the party leadership in an effort to court the far right.

US administration silent on Israel's occupation policy

Contrary to former US administrations, President Donald Trump accepts Israel's ongoing occupation and settlement policies without requiring concessions for the Palestinians.

Israeli right dreams of third temple in Jerusalem

Israeli right-wing politicians resumed visits to the Temple Mount after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the ban on Knesset members visiting the site.

Israeli soldiers look at the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel July 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC18A49EEEF0

Israel prepares for Assad’s return to the border

Israeli security experts claim that the return of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the Golan Heights is not necessarily bad news for Israel.

Abbas bids adieu

Palestine says good-bye to the US-led peace process

International pressure sways Israel on village demolition

The case of the Bedouin Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar shows that sometimes, international pressure is the only way to confront Israeli injustices in the West Bank.

Culture Alert: July marked by festivals in the Middle East

In Istanbul, Baalbeck, Jerusalem and Ras El Bar, the Middle East becomes a vibrant scene of outdoor festivals in July.

Internally displaced people from Deraa province sit on a truck loaded with belongings near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in Quneitra, Syria June 30, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir - RC18ECA55210

Desperate Syrians flee Daraa only to find closed borders

As the Syrian regime's offensive escalates in Daraa, refugees are sleeping out in the open as both Jordan and Israel refuse to open their borders.

Israeli centrist leader changes course on ultra-Orthodox draft law

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid took a political gamble and appears to have won by supporting the coalition's proposed law on conscripting ultra-Orthodox males.

A Palestinian man sells used mobile phones in the West Bank city of Ramallah January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC11656AA640

Palestinians opt for illegal SIM cards smuggled from Israel

West Bank authorities are combating the use of black-market Israeli telecom services, which Palestinians prefer over the pricier internet packages offered by local operators.