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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 29, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:44 pm

25°C

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after speaking during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Exclusive

Inside Netanyahu’s relentless push for meeting with UAE’s MBZ

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to persuade the Emiratis to receive him a month before Israel’s elections, but like other Arab capitals, Abu Dhabi is also in contact with his political rivals.

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

Ronen Bar, former chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency

Ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to sue Netanyahu over Oct. 7 accusations: What to know

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of withholding information in the hours before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but the former security chief rejected the claim, saying he intends to file a defamation suit.

Israeli PM

On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings

During his trip to Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Mohamed bin Zayed to deny reports that he had been warned ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that Hamas was preparing a major assault.

A general view of the damaged building housing Tigray TV, the state broadcaster of the Tigray region, following a drone strike in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Sept. 27, 2026.

20 Israelis stranded in Ethiopia seek evacuation as fighting resumes: What to know

Twenty Israeli tourists are asking the Foreign Ministry to arrange their evacuation from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where fighting resumed on Tuesday.

Latest News

Analysis

Can Netanyahu turn Israel's UN isolation into strength at home?

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

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

Delegates walk out as Netanyahu touts Iran war, slams Qatar and Turkey at UN

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu waves to delegates leaving before his UN speech

Israel election committee bars two Arab lists from upcoming vote: What to know

Leader of the Arab Israeli party Ra'am (United Arab List) Mansour Abbas (R) and Israeli politician Yoav Segalovitz (L) attend a news conference in Nazareth on August 31, 2026. Abbas announced that Segalovitz, an Israeli Jew, will join his party for the upcoming Israeli elections. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

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

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR1TTSE

Khamenei preaches Shiite-Sunni unity against Islamic State, US

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Eid al-Ghadeer speech revealed his concern that the coalition against the Islamic State might give Sunnis and the United States the upper hand in the region.

Moshe Kahlon, Israel's Communications and Social Welfare Minister (L) speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem October 15, 2012. Netanyahu's Likud party suffered a setback to its popularity on Monday following the announcement by Kahlon, one of the party's best appreciated ministers, that he would step down after an upcoming general election. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3966V

Kahlon's new party will challenge Likud, Shas

Former Likud Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon is capable of changing the political game and tipping the scales — provided he manages to undermine the power base of the Likud and Shas parties.

Israelis take part in a mass rally marking the 17th anniversary of the assassination of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, in Tel Aviv October 27, 2012. Israel on Saturday marked the 17th anniversary of Rabin's assassination by an ultra-nationalist Jew. The words in Hebrew near Rabin's photo read "Remembering the murder, fighting for democracy". REUTERS/ Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTR39NVH

Israeli left shuns Rabin's legacy

Two ceremonies in November will commemorate the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, neither of which will focus on the reason he lost his life: his efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinians.

An Israeli soldier stands guard at a check point near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon October 8, 2014. An attack by Hezbollah on Lebanon's border with Israel which wounded two Israeli soldiers was a message that the group remained ready to confront its old foe despite its engagement in Syria's civil war, the group's deputy leader said. The soldiers were wounded by a bomb planted by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters in the Shebaa hills, drawing Israeli artillery fire in response. It was the first tim

Is Hezbollah preparing large assault on Israel?

If Iran succeeds in securing an agreement that enables it to preserve nuclear capabilities, it might decide to attack Israel through Hezbollah on the Lebanese and Syrian borders.

Beitar Jerusalem's new player Dzhabrail Kadiyev (R) plays during a match against Bnei Sakhnin as part of the Israeli Premier League, at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem February 10, 2013. There was heightened security at Sunday's match following last week's arraignment of four fans in connection with racist incitement against the team's recruitment of Muslim players. REUTERS/Nir Elias (JERUSALEM - Tags: SPORT SOCCER POLITICS) - RTR3DLJ2

Israeli soccer team honors alleged spy for Hezbollah

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the spokesperson of Israel's Bnei Sakhnin soccer team explains that it honored former Knesset member Azmi Bishara because he facilitated Qatari financial support.

Hamas supporters acting as freed prisoners take part in a rally, calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, in Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, April 13, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR30OFL

Hamas, Israel prepare for new prisoner exchange deal

Signs are showing of a new prisoner/detainee swap between Israel and Hamas as part of the truce signed in Cairo.

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) - RTR3DAJJ

Will Ehud Barak return to politics?

Labor party activists, who met recently with former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, believe that he is the only person able to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

RAMALLAH, -: Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa al-Barghuti speaks during a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, 14 April 2007. The Palestinian government approved today a new security plan in the Palestinian territories that will create a centralized security service, al-Barghuti told in a press conference. AFP PHOTO/JAMAL ARURI (Photo credit should read JAMAL ARURI/AFP/Getty Images)

Mustafa Barghouti: US-Palestinian ties strong

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Palestinian Minister Mustafa Barghouti says that the US commitment to the Palestinian Authority's survival will withstand the Palestinian initiative of seeking UN recognition.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges applause as he arrives to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in Washington, March 4, 2014. Netanyahu urged world powers on Tuesday not to allow Iran to retain the ability to enrich uranium, saying it must be stripped of all nuclear technologies with bomb-making potential. REUTERS/Mike Theiler (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3G15H

Netanyahu hangs hopes on US midterm elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mistakenly believes that a Republican US Congress would pressure President Barack Obama to change his policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt attend a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah February 28, 2011. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2J926

Mideast conflict needs Scandinavian drive

Scandinavian experience at peacemaking and human rights could again prove useful at jump-starting the deadlocked Israel-Palestine negotiations.

Rabin's son says Israelis ready for regional agreement

In an interview with Al-Monitor shortly before the commemoration of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, his son Yuval Rabin called for a regional agreement.

Trucks loaded with bags of cement enter the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing on October 14, 2014, in Rafah in southern Gaza. International donors pledged about $5.4 billion in aid to the devastated Gaza Strip on October 13, 2014 and urged Israel and the Palestinians to renew peace efforts. AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel eases restrictions on Gaza

Israel has started to provide facilities to the Gaza Strip, but many Palestinians see these efforts as a facade that changes little.