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Israel

July 14, 2026

Tel Aviv 10:44 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

Boys watch as Palestinian militants on a truck protest against peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as possible U.S. attacks on Syria, in the northern Gaza Strip September 6, 2013. The protest was organized by Hamas militants and other Palestinian factions. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX139GR

Hamas Emphasizes Resistance

Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades have held two military parades in recent weeks and intensified its resistance rhetoric as problems with Egypt and Israel escalate.

An Israeli soldier walks near tanks in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights September 1, 2013. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played up Israel's ability to take on foes alone on Sunday after Washington backed off a threatened attack on Syria, prompting some Israelis to question their main ally's resolve against Iran. Israel remains technically at war with Syria, which has long demanded an Israeli withdrawal from the strategic Golan Heights, land that Israel captured in a 1967 war. REUTERS/Ronen Z

The Myth of Israeli Self-Reliance

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that Israel relies only on itself contradicts Israel's military history, throughout which Israel has needed American arms shipments.

PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat (R) shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (L), as U.S. President Bill Clinton stands between them, after the signing of the Israeli-PLO peace accord, at the White House in Washington September 13, 1993. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13K52

Arafat Destroyed the Dream of Oslo For Palestinians

In 1993, Gaza and the West Bank wanted to establish a democratic state through the Oslo Accords, while Tunis PLO officials imposed the old Arab regimes' model.

A Palestinian demonstrator hurls a stone as an Israeli truck fires a water cannon containing a foul smelling substance during clashes at a protest in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah September 14, 2012. The demonstrators were calling for an end to the Oslo accords, which were meant to pave the way to permanent peace with Israel. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR37YUV

15 Ways Oslo Accords Serve Israel

The Oslo Accords are seen by many Palestinians as serving the Israeli occupation.

THIS PICTURE IS ONE OF 30 TO ACCOMPANY PICTURE PACKAGE: THE PROTESTERS OF TEL AVIV'S TENT CITY. SEARCH IN YOUR PICTURE SYSTEM FOR KEYWORD "PROTEST" TO SEE ALL IMAGES (PXP01 - 30)

Kassa Yasso, a 22-year-old from Tel Aviv, is pictured at a tent camp on Rothschild Boulevard in south Tel Aviv, part of an ongoing protest against the high cost of living in Israel, August 15, 2011. When interviewed by Reuters, Yasso said, "I immigrated to Israel with my family from Ethiopia when I was two years old, since then I

Why Are Israelis so Happy?

The poverty rate in Israel is the highest among developed nations, and the Netanyahu government continues to slash budgets, so why are Israelis ranked so high in the World Happiness Report?

A labourer works at the construction site of Dorad, a private power plant in the southern city of Ashkelon May 17, 2012. Israel Electric Corp (IEC), which is responsible for nearly every aspect of electricity from running power plants to connecting households, simply cannot keep up with growing demand.The state-owned utility just lost natural gas supplies from neighbouring Egypt and fuel costs are soaring. Reserves are low and capacity insufficient and the government, under pressure from massive cost-of-liv

Israel's Miscalculation On Egyptian Natural Gas

Police protocols published this week shed light on the decision of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to solely rely on Egyptian natural gas, against partnering also with the Palestinians.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon speaks during a briefing to reporters in Jerusalem October 1, 2009. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday the United Nations would deal a "fatal blow" to prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace if it endorsed a report critical of Israel's January war in Gaza. Ayalon said Netanyahu's government was discussing the possibility of setting up an independent commission to look into the military's conduct of the Gaza war. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSA

Danny Ayalon on the US, Russia, Syria and Iran

Former Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon says Israel can count on the United States in dealing with Iran.

Israeli soldiers walk next to an Iron Dome missile interceptor battery as it is being positioned on the outskirts of Jerusalem, September 8, 2013 REUTERS/ Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX13D0G

Israel Escapes Retaliation Threat from Syria

Russia and Syria have offered the US a respectable way out, without damaging its deterrence, and relieving the region from an immediate retaliatory threat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama are pictured on a video screen installed in the press centre of the G20 Summit in Strelna near St. Petersburg, September 5, 2013. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX138DW

Putin, Obama Should Team Up For WMD-Free Mideast

The channel opened between the United States and Russia to resolve the Syrian chemical-weapons crisis could provide leverage for ridding the Middle East of all non-conventional weaponry.

File photograph of Palestinian President Arafat, Israel's Perez and Israeli Prime Minister Rabin showing their Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was in a coma and in critical condition in the intensive care unit at a French military hospital after his health suddenly deteriorated, aides said November 4, 2004. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, (L) Israel's Shimon Perez (C) and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin show their Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in this December 10, 1994

Oslo Accords, A Milestone In Rabin's Legacy

Despite criticisms of the Oslo Accords, and the victims who have fallen on both sides since their signing 20 years ago, the agreement nonetheless opened the way for today's negotiations.

U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as President Shimon Peres (L) watches on, before Obama's departure from Tel Aviv International Airport, March 22, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FBUO

Israel Will Pay for Obama’s Hesitancy On Syria

Israel should expect little in return for its support of US President Obama's policies on Syria.

An activist wearing a gas mask is seen in Zamalka area, where activists say chemical weapons have been used by forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad in the eastern suburbs of Damascus August 22, 2013. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX12TQ6

Israelis Question Obama Response To 'Smoking Gun' in Syria

Senior Israelis wonder what it means for US policy toward Iran that US President Barack Obama did not act on a "smoking gun" in Syria.