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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 14, 2026

Tel Aviv 9:35 am

27°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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen on a screen as he speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington March 5, 2012. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YWD1

AIPAC, J Street And the 'Dual Loyalty' Question

The pro-Israel organization J Street, AIPAC's liberal rival, must confront its dual loyalty dilemma, which will be tested once Jerusalem's division is put on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating table.

Protesters hold a placard in Hebrew reading, "the People demand social justice" during a demonstration calling for social justice in Tel Aviv June 30, 2012. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY) - RTR34F92

Mayor: Israel's 'Structural Injustice' In Resource Distribution

According to the mayor of Yeruham, Michael Biton, the Israeli government refuses to decide on differential allocation that would rescue the development towns, “because its main beneficiaries would be Arab municipalities.”

Children cross the street as residents of south Tel Aviv carry Israeli flags during a protest against African migrants living in their neighbourhoods May 30, 2012. Last week a similar protest held by residents of the low-income neighbourhoods where many of the border-jumpers from Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan live led to violence, including a rampage that an Israeli broadcaster dubbed a "pogrom". Fleeing poverty, fighting and authoritarian rule, some 60, 000 Africans have crossed illegally into Israel thro

Israel's Right Wing Embarrasses Itself Over Court Ruling

The overreaction of the Israeli right to the supreme court decision on illegal immigrants reflects its self-perception as a persecuted opposition, not as the party in power.

A bulldozer works at a construction site in Pisgat Zeev, an urban settlement in an area Israel annexed to Jerusalem after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East war, August 13, 2013. A 10-minute drive from where negotiators will sit down on Wednesday to resume long-stalled Middle East peace talks, Israeli bulldozers are busy reshaping land that Palestinians want for their future state.
REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) - RTX12JQ0

Two-State Solution Under Siege

US political scientist Ian Steven Lustick is the latest intellectual to jump on the one-state bandwagon for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Sadat: Egypt Will Keep The Peace with Israel

Esmat al-Sadat, nephew of the late Egyptian president, is confident about the future of the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement: "It will be maintained even when there’s utter chaos in Egypt."

Children of migrant workers play on a beach in Tel Aviv, on Israel's Independence Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the creation of the state, April 16, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: SOCIETY IMMIGRATION ANNIVERSARY) - RTXYNUK

Israeli Supreme Court Rules For Democracy

Israel's highest court strikes down a controversial immigration law.

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

Netanyahu to US: Iran for Palestine?

The Israeli right fears that Netanyahu might agree to an interim arrangement that will include a settlement evacuation in exchange for US guarantees on the Iranian file.

Norweigan ambassador.jpg

Norwegian Diplomat in Israel Doubts Settlements Can Be Stopped

After years of involvement in the Middle East, Norwegian Ambassador to Israel Svein Sevje is concerned that he is more worried about the future of Israel than Israelis are.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays a wreath during a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers killed in the 1973 Middle East War at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem September 15, 2013. Netanyahu gave a guarded response on Sunday to a U.S.-Russian deal on Syria's chemical weapons, saying it would be judged on whether it achieved "complete destruction" of the arsenal. REUTERS/Lior Mizrahi/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTX13LZJ

The Lingering Trauma Of the Yom Kippur War

Processing the trauma of the Yom Kippur War has taken Israelis four decades, with testimony by former Prime Minister Golda Meir finally being disclosed Sept. 12.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stand with children during a welcoming ceremony for Putin in the West Bank town of Bethlehem June 26, 2012. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR345WH

Russia's Mideast Role A Plus for Palestinians

Active Russian involvement in the Middle East will be welcomed by Palestinians, as they seek to counter Israel's hold on US policy.

Supporters of Palestinian leftist parties burn a replica Israeli flag during a rally calling for the cancellation of the Oslo peace agreement and the end of the latest round of peace talks with Israel in Gaza City September 15, 2013. The Oslo peace accord was signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel in 1993 and was meant to pave the way to a permanent peace between the Palestinians and Israel. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13LZB

Twenty Years After the Oslo Accords! What Now?

With the Oslo Accords, there is the illusion of negotiations.

An Israeli military vehicle drives along Israel's border with Egypt's Sinai desert, near the Nitzana crossing August 20, 2013. Egypt began three days of official mourning for 25 policemen killed on Monday by suspected Islamist militants in the Sinai near the desert border with Israel. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12RGP

Israel-Egypt Forge New Ties Over Sinai

The United States is no longer the glue between Israel and Egypt.