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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 14, 2026

Tel Aviv 7:17 am

24°C

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

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd L) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani (L) during a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, September 13, 2013. Rouhani said on Friday that he wanted a swift resolution to a dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, which Western states fear is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (KYRGYZSTAN - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD

Rouhani Heads to New York, Offers Help On Syria Talks

Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of what to expect at the UN General Assembly this week.

A woman participates in a silent protest held by the Arab Doctors Union outside the British Embassy in Cairo July 12, 2011. The protesters demanded the release of Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in the Palestinian Territories and Imam of Al-Aqsa mosque, who has been detained in London on charges of entering Britain illegally. REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL-GHANY (EGYPT - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR2OSIA

Radical Islam Movement Gains Momentum Among Israeli Arabs

The leader of the extremist northern faction of the Islamic movement, Raed Salah, drew tens of thousands of Muslims to a rally in support of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and against coexistence within Israeli society.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends 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) - RTX13O88

Israel's Dismissal of Iran A Lost Opportunity

It's arrogant for Israel to dismiss Rouhani's overtures and refuse to consider the possibility of a new era in Iran.

Iranian-Jewish minority Member of Parliament, Siamak Meresedgh, poses for a photograph in front of a banner for the 2012 parliamentary elections, after he registered as a candidate at the Interior Ministry building in Tehran December 25, 2011. Candidates began registering on Saturday for Iran's parliamentary elections in March, the first litmus test of the clerical establishment's popularity since the 2009 disputed presidential vote. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR2VMNV

Rouhani Enlists Iran Jewish MP Against Hard-Liners

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani looks to put behind the charges of Holocaust denial by his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Israeli High Court's 11 justices prepare to hear petitions filed by
politicians banned from participating in the January 28 general
elections in Jerusalem January 7, 2003. Among the petitioners are two
Israeli Arabs and two Jewish extremists. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen

GCM/FMS - RTRG6N0

Israeli Mayors Facing Charges Can Run for Re-Election

Despite a court decision to dismiss two mayors charged with corruption, both will be allowed to run for another term in next month's municipal elections.

Palestinians wave a national flag and an Egyptian flag (R) as they take part in a rally calling on Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah crossing, outside the crossing in the southern Gaza Strip September 16, 2013. Cairo closed the Rafah crossing, Gaza's main window to the world, completely last week after assailants crashed two explosive-laden cars into a security building adjacent to the border zone, killing six Egyptian soldiers. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, said 1,

Hamas Tries to Reconcile With Egypt

Hostile Egyptian public opinion might stand in the way of a reconciliation between Gaza and Cairo.

Israeli Minister Lapid Hears 'New Music' in Iran

In a recent CNN interview, Israeli Minister Yair Lapid seems to distance himself somewhat from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Iran.

Mariam Aborkeek mixes plants with olive oil for her "Desert Daughter" soap in the Bedouin village of Tel Sheva, near the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, February 11, 2013. The cosmetics line, set up in 2005, is the brainchild of Aborkeek, a Bedouin. Brought up by the female members of her family, Aborkeek said she decided to share her Bedouin beauty secrets by transforming them into a variety of lotions and cosmetic products, using ingredients like desert melon, cumin, and bitter apple. Picture taken Fe

Israeli Job Market Closed To Arab Women Graduates

The Israeli economy loses an estimated NIS 30 billion annually because most Arabs are not being employed.

Israeli Artists Pay Price For Political Views

The decision by singer Ehud Banai to perform at the Susya settlement reignited the debate over the political commitment of Israeli artists.

A Palestinian boy is seen through an opening in Israel's controversial barrier in Shuafat in the West Bank near Jerusalem February 17, 2009. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK) - RTXBQ43

US-Russia Cooperation Opens New Era in Middle East

It may be time to "think big" about addressing the Arab-Israeli conflict.

A student uses his mobile phone during a break as he is silhouetted against the "Ardon Windows? in the library of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem June 3, 2002. The Ardon windows are Isaiah's vision of eternal peace in a triptych by artist Mordecal Ardon. The part of the triptych in the photo focuses on Jerusalem, in the lower section the city wall is represented as the Dead Sea Scroll of the book of Isaiah. Above the wall a piece of parchment carries part of the Prophecy, "and they shall beat their sword

Israeli Colleges Cut Funding for Humanities

The Hebrew University, for generations the breeding ground of Jewish thinkers, is cutting dozens of faculty positions in the humanities, succumbing to the powerful forces of the market.

Israeli's Demonstrate outside of the King David Hotel where United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan meets with Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai March 24. Dozens of members of the "Four Mothers" group demonstrated to bring the troops home from south Lebanon security zone.

ISRAEL - RTRCHFQ

Israeli NGOs Demand Greater Role For Women in National Security

Israeli women’s organizations have formulated an action plan to implement UN Resolution 1325, which calls for increasing the representation of women in security and diplomatic deliberations.