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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 5, 2026

Tel Aviv 1:22 am

25°C

Joint List Party leader Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on April 5, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Interview

Ayman Odeh says Arab parties could back Bennett or Eisenkot to block Netanyahu

In an interview with Al-Monitor, head of the Arab-Israeli Hadash-Ta'al Knesset faction, Ayman Odeh, said his party is prepared to make difficult decisions to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Ayman Odeh

Head of the Knesset's Hadash-Ta'al faction

Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

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

Latest News

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

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

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

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

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 secure the area during a drill simulating a bomb attack on a train in Kiryat Gat, Israel June 4, 2015. Israel completed a five-day annual home front defence exercise on Thursday, preparing soldiers and civilians for attacks. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX1F36V

Confusion, controversy surround appointment of new police chief for Israel

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan appointed reserve Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch as Israel police chief, offering him a chance to clear his name following criticism of his conduct during the Second Lebanon War.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (L) and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif arrive for presser, after a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran August 23, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMAATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THI

Hammond's comments on Israel strike nerve in Iran

The British foreign secretary visited Tehran for the reopening of the United Kingdom's embassy after four years, but his comments about Israel and Iran drew sharp criticism from Iranian officials.

World tunes out Netanyahu's broken record on Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated opposition to an agreement with Iran has turned the world deaf to him, and if Iran does violate the deal's conditions, no one will listen to Israel's warnings.

RTX1HBAP (1).jpg

Hamas: Israeli security measures won't stop attacks on settlers

Israel has stepped up its security measures in the West Bank in response to increasing attacks by Palestinians against settlers, although Hamas says such efforts will not stop it.

A member of the Saudi security forces stands guard as other demonstrate their skills during a military exercise in Arar, near Saudi Arabia's northern border with Iraq March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal AlNasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR4TWNJ

Hoping to counter Iran, former Israeli defense official calls on Riyadh to add 'security annex' to Arab Peace Initiative

With Iran getting stronger and more self-confident, Saudi Arabia should add a "security annex" to its original Arab Peace Initiative to establish a defense cooperation framework between Israel and select Arab states.

Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak waves as he leaves after a news conference in Tel Aviv November 26, 2012. Barak, a main architect of Israel's policy toward Iran's nuclear programme, said in a surprise announcement on Monday that he was quitting politics and would not run in the January 22 national election. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3AW6W

Has Israel found its savior?

The publication of recordings of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak blaming Israeli politicians for blocking an attack on Iran may have been designed to rebuild his image as Mr. Security and portray him as the only alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C), joins a reading of the Koran prior to a meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee in the West Bank city of Ramallah, August 22, 2015. REUTERS/Majdi Mohammed/Pool - RTX1P89U

Abbas oversteps in moves against 'political sabotage'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears to have gone too far, upsetting his European Union supporters, in ordering the closure of the Palestinian Peace Coalition, led by Yasser Abed Rabbo, whom Abbas earlier removed as secretary-general of the PLO's Executive Committee.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak gestures during the 49th Conference on Security Policy in Munich February 3, 2013. Senior politicians along with the leader of the Syrian opposition are in Munich providing a rare opportunity for talks to revive efforts to end the civil war in Syria. REUTERS/Michael Dalder(GERMANY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR3DAJM

Audio tapes reveal how Ehud Barak attempted to rewrite history with Iran

Associates of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak leaked tapes indicating that Barak supported an attack on Iran in 2012, but other sources suggest that he then changed his mind and was the person who actually blocked an eventual strike.

Israelis mesmerized by bridge demolition

The spectacle surrounding the demolition of the Maariv Bridge reflects Israeli society today: hedonistic, mesmerized by TV shows and hooked on grand media events, escaping the harsh realities of threats from Syria and Gaza.

After Israeli settlers left, these Gazans planted more than eggplants

Since Israeli settlers withdrew in 2005 from south Gaza, the Palestinian government allowed investments in these lands that turned into crops that generate considerable profit despite the water crisis.

Abbas must accept Gaza, West Bank will not unite

A long-term truce between Israel and Hamas could perpetuate Gaza's separation from the West Bank, but that might be the price of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians toward a future comprehensive agreement.

An Israeli gas platform, controlled by a U.S.-Israeli energy group, is seen in the Mediterranean sea, some 15 miles (24 km) west of Israel's port city of Ashdod, in this file picture taken February 25, 2013. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won more time to overcome a political hurdle after parliament postponed a vote on authorising the government to secure a deal on developing Israel's natural gas fields. Picture taken February 25, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/Files - RTX1IDQQ

Israel's natural gas cartel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's adamance in pursuing a deal for exploiting Israel's natural gas, despite it being roundly criticized by regulators, appears to have tentacles to casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and the US-Israel Business Initiative.