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

Israel cover image

Israel

June 30, 2026

Tel Aviv 9:28 am

29°C

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

A car drives past an United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outpost in the village of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, southern Syria, April 29, 2026.

Syria slams Israeli 'violations' in south as ground clashes intensify: What to know

In a rare incident, the Israeli military said it fired at armed men in southern Syria, without identifying the attackers.

Latest News

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

Vance

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

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

Israeli policemen confiscate Hamas flags during clashes with Palestinians near the Jewish settlement of Bet El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah October 8, 2015. Four people, including an Israeli soldier, were stabbed and wounded near a military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Thursday, police and ambulance sources said, as a rash of such Palestinian attacks spread to Israel's commercial capital. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTS3LE4

'There is no intifada,' say Ramallah residents

In a visit to Ramallah, Israel Pulse contributor Shlomi Eldar heard from residents who expressed a deep weariness with Hamas and other "inciters" to violence.

Have Passover food drives gotten out of control?

Some claim the tradition of donating food to the poor so they can enjoy a generous Passover dinner has turned into a giant, wasteful charity enterprise.

Why President Rivlin supports Israeli-Palestinian confederation

President Reuven Rivlin has not abandoned his right-wing worldview in expressing a pragmatic and moral position in favor of an Israeli-Palestinian confederation.

How one Israeli Arab woman seeks to wipe out hatred

Arab-Israeli activist Ghada Zoabi is trying to restore calm among the Arab population of Israel with a media campaign featuring conciliatory messages from community leaders.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III (C) attends a Christmas service according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar, in the church of Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX219EO

Jerusalem churches: Don't veto Palestine resolution

Middle East and US religious leaders chart path forward for two-state solution.

Jerusalem at the center of Palestine-Israel naming dispute

Within the scope of its Judaization policy, Israel has changed the names of several cities and places, including the Arabic name it uses to refer to Jerusalem.

The 'out-of-the-box' proposal on the Golan Heights

France is advancing an idea that in exchange for Israeli readiness to take security risks in the framework of a two-state solution, the Golan Heights issue will be taken off the regional negotiation table.

Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia attend a demonstration of a ceremonial Passover holiday dinner known as a "seder" at an immigrant's centre in Mevasseret Zion, near Jerusalem April 14, 2011. This year will be the first "seder" the immigrants will be celebrating in Israel, which begins this Monday evening. Passover commemorates the flight of Jews from ancient Egypt as described in Exodus. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR2L7MH

How Israelis keep Passover traditions alive

Israelis keep their forefathers' Passover dinner traditions, with Persian Jews hitting their dinner neighbors with green onions and Djerba Jews reading the Haggadah in Arabic.

How Orthodox Israelis are battling sexual harassment

For more than a decade, a unique Israeli forum composed of religious leaders, legal experts and mental health workers has quietly dealt with allegations of sexual misconduct.

Why Egyptians' anger at island handover is misplaced

Angry Egyptians decried the return of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia while ignoring possible economic benefits and returns for Egypt as part of the agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C front) poses with ministers prior to the weekly cabinet meeting in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, April 17, 2016. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool - RTX2AB66

Were Bibi's Golan comments a 'death blow' to peace?

The declaration by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will hold on to the Golan Heights forever threatens any possibility of an agreement with the Palestinians and Arab states.

Supporters of Elor Azaria, an Israeli soldier charged with manslaughter by the Israeli military after he shot a wounded Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground in Hebron on March 24, hold balloons before a protest calling for his release in Tel Aviv, Israel April 19, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX2APM6

How much support does IDF soldier charged in Hebron shooting really have?

The rally supporting the IDF Hebron shooter attracted only a small crowd, while the majority of Israelis side with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot.