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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 22, 2026

Tel Aviv 4:39 pm

28°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

Will this woman be Israel's next political star?

As Knesset member Orly Levy-Abekasis promotes her newly formed party, her popularity already points to a changing of the old guard in Israeli politics.

Gaza farmers denounce Israel pesticide use along border

Agricultural lands along the eastern Gaza border are being sprayed with pesticides by Israeli gliders, resulting in the destruction of cultivated crops on Palestinian lands.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gestures as he arrives to attend Fatah Revolutionary Council meeting in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank March 1, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC193519D700

Why Palestinians say early elections in Israel would change nothing

Palestinian sources estimate that whether or not Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu wins in the next election, settlement policies will persist.

Jordan fears collapse of de-escalation zone in southwest Syria

Jordan seems worried the fighting in Syria’s eastern Ghouta could hit near its borders amid claims of strikes by Syrian jets against rebel-held areas in Daraa.

The path to a nuclear-free Middle East

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should understand that he cannot forge a unified front with Saudi Arabia against the Iran-led Shiite axis while thwarting Saudi plans for commercial nuclear energy.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 14: (ISRAEL OUT) An Israeli demonstrator holds a poster with a picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Attorney general Avichai Mandelblit during a protest against corruption out side the the Prime Minister's house on February 14, 2018 in Jerusalem, Israel. A police investigation into Benjamin Netanyahu has concluded there is enough evidence of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases to indict the Israeli Prime Minister. (Photo by Lior

Will the Likud ever abandon Netanyahu?

Likud activists explain that unless the police reveal a smoking gun proving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took money for himself, no one in the party will challenge him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem January 21, 2018. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool - RC1C497858C0

Latest Israeli political crisis exposes fragile coalition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s maneuvering through the coalition crisis and early elections has broken whatever trust his coalition partners had in him and left him weaker.

Palestinians pin hopes on Pompeo

The Palestinian leadership hopes that the friendship between intelligence chief Majid Faraj and Mike Pompeo, who will soon be appointed US secretary of state, will help thaw relations between Washington and Ramallah.

Netanyahu’s lesson on power limits

The leaders of HaBayit HaYehudi and Shas parties joined forces to stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for early elections in June.

The dueling states of Palestine

Hamas-organized protests on Land Day and Nakba Day in Gaza appear planned to lead to bloodshed, while in the West Bank, the PLO is planning on recognizing a Palestinian state.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA - JUNE 28: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Sidewinders of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)on June 28, 2016 in the Mediterranean Sea. Dwight D. Eisenhower is deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and theater security operation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. (Photo by Anderson W. Branch/U.S. Nav

Eastern Mediterranean starting to resemble disputed South China Sea

Military activities in the eastern Mediterranean have escalated considerably in 2018, as have tensions.

The topsy-turvy world of Jewish-Arab relations

Despite evidence of a serious deterioration in relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, one researcher contends that Israeli Arabs continue to show a strong link to a Jewish and democratic Israel.