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Israel

July 14, 2026

Tel Aviv 3:55 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

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13YDU

Israel Should Put Rouhani to Test

Instead of denigrating the new foreign policy of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Israel should put him to the test and demand concrete, confidence-building action.

No Longer David: The State of Israel As Goliath

In a new book, journalist Max Blumenthal leaves the ''comfort zone'' of the Jewish American community, opening the issue of Israel and the conflict with the Palestinians to critical debate.

The Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, is seen in the background as Palestinian onlookers survey a protest calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails February 8, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR3DI1Z

Israeli Actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque Raise Palestinian Fears

Palestinians are being increasingly barred from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, leading many to question Israel's intentions.

A worker stands in front of his gold jewellery shop at the market of Khan el-Khalili in Old Cairo October 10, 2012. Goldsmiths at the market say they are lacking customers and feeling unsafe, and are asking for a stronger security presence. Picture taken October 10, 2012. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY) - RTR397KI

The Secret Language Of Cairo's Jewelry Merchants

Jewelry merchants of the Khan al-Khalili market in Cairo use a secret code that originates in ancient Hebrew to outsmart their (non-Israeli) customers.

Civilians escape an area at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi September 21, 2013. Gunmen stormed the shopping mall in Nairobi on Saturday killing at least 20 people in what Kenya's government said could be a terrorist attack, and sending scores fleeing into shops, a cinema and onto the streets in search of safety. Sporadic gun shots could be heard hours after the assault started as soldiers surrounded the mall and police and soldiers combed the building, hunting down the attackers shop by shop. REUTE

Nightmare in Nairobi: What Can West Learn From Israel?

While Israel enjoys a relatively terror-free era, security experts warn of Islamic terror groups spreading across Africa and toward the Middle East as the West avoids dealing with them.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 17, 2013. Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on September 30, an Israeli official said on Tuesday, for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13O85

Diplomatic Negotiations Cost Netanyahu His Likud Base

While negotiations with the Palestinians are underway, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing distrust and lack of support within his own Likud party.

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Ethiopian Jews Redefine Israeli Beauty

Social entrepreneur Yohannes Azanaw has opened the first Israeli agency for dark-skinned models, challenging misperceptions and racism.

Trucks transporting construction materials are seen through a crack in a police post after entering the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing September 22, 2013. Israel began allowing construction material for private projects into the Gaza Strip on Sunday for the first time in six years, in response to a request from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, an Israeli defence official said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION REAL ESTATE TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX

Israel Allows Construction Materials To Enter Gaza Under EU Pressure

Israel briefly modified its blockade on Gaza to allow in badly needed construction material, but Gazans say it is not enough to ease the economic crisis.

A Palestinian argues with Israeli soldiers as he tries to walk through a closed off area during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron September 23, 2013. An Israeli soldier was shot dead on Sunday during a Jewish festival in Hebron, a hotbed of tensions where some 500 Israeli settler families live among 100,000 Palestinians. He was the second Israeli serviceman killed since Friday by suspected Palestinian gunmen as tensions rise in the occupied territory despite a resumption of stalled U.S.-brokered peace

Only Palestinian Authority Can Prevent Third Intifada

There is sufficient rage and despair in the West Bank to fuel another intifada, but Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen knows this would be a fatal blow for Fatah.

Coalition Boss Warns Netanyahu Against Settlement Evacuation

Yariv Levin, chairman of the governing coalition, has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the political price he would pay for striking a historic peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a news conference at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, May 14, 2013. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday it was important to avoid actions that might aggravate Syria's civil war, a veiled warning against foreign military intervention or arming anti-government forces. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS B

Russia-Israel Ties in Spotlight In Wake of Syria Deal

The Helsinki conference on a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East will be a window into the state of Russia-Israel relations.

French diplomat Marion Castaing lays on the ground after Israeli soldiers carried her out of her truck, in the West Bank herding community of Khirbet al-Makhul, in the Jordan Valley September 20, 2013. Israeli soldiers manhandled European diplomats, including Castaing, on Friday and seized the 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) - RTX13S

Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Comes to Head in Area C

The manhandling of EU diplomats by Israeli soldiers in the Jordan Valley is evidence of just how sensitive this area is to peace talks.