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Israel

July 14, 2026

Tel Aviv 2:07 am

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Israelis turn out to cast their ballots on election day for the 20th Knesset on March 17, 2015 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Explainer

Israel's next election: Who's leading in polls and what's at stake?

After months of negotiations and speculations, the coalition announced that general elections will take place on Oct. 27.

Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now

Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand.

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

Former Israeli army chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot speaks during the launch of the Yashar party's election campaign in Hod Aharon, in central Israel, on June 30, 2026.

New Israeli election poll puts Eisenkot ahead of Netanyahu: What to know

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party has now bypassed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud in the polls, cementing his status as Netanyahu’s main opponent.

Latest News

Trump declares MoU with Iran 'over' as Hegseth cancels trip to Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not shown) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Explainer

Lebanon's latest damage estimate outlines reconstruction challenge

Froun

Analysis

Trump's F-35 push for Turkey runs into CAATSA — and Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes US President Donald Trump (R) upon his arrival on Air Force One at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, on July 7, 2026, before attending the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (L) speaks during a news conference in New York September 27, 2013. New Iranian President Rouhani said on Friday he wanted talks with major powers on Iran's nuclear program to yield results in a short period of time and that the improved mood in U.S.-Iranian relations could lead to better ties. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX142CF

The Honor Games: Netanyahu vs. Rouhani

Despite the “post-honor world” we live in, national pride still plays a key role in the relations between Israel and Iran, a zero-sum game that could lead to an abyss.

Some of Bitcoin enthusiast Mike Caldwell's coins are pictured at his office in Sandy, Utah, September 17, 2013.Caldwell produces physical coins Bitcoins, which have been around since 2008, and have become a form of electronic money that can be exchanged without using traditional banking or money transfer systems. Bitcoins, touted by some experts as the future of money, gained in prominence during Europe's financial crisis as more people questioned the safety of holding their cash in the bank. REUTERS/Jim Ur

Bitcoins: Currency for Criminals?

Israeli authorities are examining the possibility of taxing commerce conducted with bitcoins, which secures the identity of its users but is also a tool for drug and arms dealers.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points to a red line he has drawn on the graphic of a bomb as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR38I6N

Israel's Hypocritical Attack On Rouhani

While Israel accuses Iran of buying time with its charm offensive, it is doing exactly the same with the Palestinians as negotiations stall and settlements continue.

Israeli soldiers scuffle with Palestinians near a truck loaded with items European diplomats wanted to deliver to locals in the West Bank herding community of Khirbet al-Makhul, in the Jordan Valley September 20, 2013. Israeli soldiers manhandled European diplomats on Friday and seized a truck full of tents and emergency aid they had been trying to deliver to Palestinians whose homes were demolished earlier this week. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX13SGZ

European Diplomats Provoke IDF Again

The altercation between French Cultural Attaché Marion Fesneau-Castaing and Israeli soldiers at a West Bank village was an act of provocation, undermining Israel's authority.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 26, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX140YE

Israeli-Palestinian Interim Deal Is the Only Feasible Solution

In his UN speech, Palestinian President Abu Mazen rejected any possibility of an interim deal, but given the state of current negotiations, reaching a permanent agreement in the next months is impossible.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem September 15, 2013. Kerry briefed Netanyahu on Sunday on a U.S.-Russian deal to remove Syria's chemical weapons, an accord that drew a guarded response from the Israeli leader. REUTERS/Larry Downing (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13M58

Netanyahu Swimming Upstream After Iran's Diplomatic Flurry

US President Barack Obama, Palestinian President Abu Mazen and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's told the UN: Israel must compromise on Palestine, while Iran compromises on its nuclear program.

Former Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman is seen in Jerusalem's magistrate court at the continuation of his trial April 25, 2013. Lieberman was indicted on charges relating to the promotion of an Israeli diplomat who had illegally given him information about a police investigation against him. The allegations led Lieberman, a key ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to resign from cabinet last December. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTXYZC4

Israeli 'New Politics' Unwilling To Deal With Corruption

Labor Knesset member Moshe Mizrahi was surprised by the lack of support in the Knesset for the lobby he is heading against public corruption.

A Palestinian boy uses a sling to throw a stone during clashes with Israeli police following Friday prayers in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ras Al Amoud September 27, 2013. An Israeli police spokesman said on Friday that 10 Palestinians were detained on suspicion of throwing stones at policemen who were deployed in the Old City and in nearby Palestinian neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, amid recent tensions over Israel's admittance of Jewish visitors to a holy site in the Old City, which houses the al-Asq

Israel Can Prevent Third Intifada By Ending Occupation

Israel should address the root cause of Palestinian anger — occupation — if it truly wants to prevent a third intifada.

Bethlehem film - photo 1.jpg

'Bethlehem': Story of an Israeli Agent And His Palestinian Informant

Yuval Adler’s film 'Bethlehem' unveils some of the mystery surrounding the work of Shin Bet officers and their relationship with Palestinian informants and in the process reveals the disillusionment of the Israeli left's Oslo generation.

Aryeh Deri, (L), a political kingmaker and head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, kisses the hand of the party's spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, at a women's conference March 16, a day before an Israeli court is due to rule in his fraud and bribery trial. Israeli Police are preparing for large protests by Shas supporters if the verdict goes against Deri, who has been on trial since 1993 on charges he illegally channelled government funds to Shas-affiliated organisations and pocketed some of the money

The Ailing Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Who Sought to Prevent Wars

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the first rabbi who ruled that preventing bloodshed takes precedence over keeping territories, is fighting for his life.

A Shas supporter, wearing a poster of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef the spiritual leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas party, joins thousands of other supporters outside the Rabbi's home March 27 after Israel's attorney-general ordered police to investigate the Rabbi on suspicion of incitement against a political adversary. [Shas' support is vital to Ehud Barak's hopes of making peace with Syria and the Palestinians. The police probe stems from remarks Yosef made about Education Minister Yossi Sarid, calling him a devil

Can Israeli Shas Party Outlive Its Spiritual Leader?

No man has shaped the face of modern Israel as has the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, the official king of Sephardic Judaism, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the inauguration ceremony of a hi-tech industry park in the southern city of Beersheba September 3, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTX135KM

Netanyahu to Adapt His Position On Changing Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems unable to readjust his conservative position on Iran, when facing President Hassan Rouhani's new approach to the West.