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

Israel cover image

Israel

July 15, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:14 pm

31°C

Analysis

As Trump prioritizes Hormuz, Israel fears Iran rebuilding nuclear program while preserving ballistic missile threat

Israel is worried that the United States is centering the Strait of Hormuz, deprioritizing the threat of a nuclear Iran.

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

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.

Latest News

Analysis

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

Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

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.

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)

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

U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) tour a technology expo at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem March 21, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTR3F9EE

US Needs to Link Peace Process, Syria

For Washington to successfully form a Western-Arab coalition against Syria, it must increase pressure on Israel to avoid accusations of having double standards.

Israeli civilians sitting atop a hill in the city of Sderot watch as two Palestinian rockets fly towards southern Israel, before a ceasefire November 21, 2012. Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement ruling the Gaza Strip agreed on Wednesday to an Egyptian-sponsored ceasefire to halt an eight-day conflict that killed 162 Palestinians and five Israelis. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (ISRAEL - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3APKM

Southern Israeli Town Forgotten After Rockets Stop Falling

Just a mile away from Gaza in Israel, Sderot residents love their town despite economic difficulties and a year of rocket attacks.

Cranes are seen at the port of the northern city of Haifa April 23, 2013. Israel is betting its economic future on high-tech exports but faces a low-tech bottleneck in state-owned seaports subject to work stoppages and slowdowns because of the enormous strength of their unions. All that may be about to change. The government, for years unwilling to risk a confrontation that could paralyse trade given that 99 percent of exports and imports are transported by ship, last month pledged to end the monopolies of

Syrian Civil War Reopens Trade Route Through Israeli Port

The port city of Haifa, once a major gateway to the Near East, is regaining some of its lost commercial importance thanks to the Syrian war.

Organ Transplants Bring Israelis, Palestinians Close

In Israeli hospitals, Jewish and Arab patients are treated equally — and even save each other's lives.

Austrian United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping soldiers and a dog stand at attention after they arrived at the Vienna International airport in Schwechat June 12, 2013. Austria has begun withdrawing peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, winding down a four-decade mission due to spillover fighting from the Syrian civil war, the defence ministry said. The Austrians have patrolled the buffer zone between Israel and Syria as part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, known as UNDOF, since it was set up

UN Warns of Israel-Syria Escalation

The UN secretary-general warned today that the cease-fire between Israel and Syria is in jeopardy as Austrian forces have withdrawn from the UN Disengagement Observer Force.

Netanyahu's Coming Makeover

The only way Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can stay in power is to lead on the peace process.

Demonstrators hold candles and pictures of arrested Palestinian women during a silent protest in front of the Israeli embassy in Warsaw March 8, 2011. A silent protest was organized during International Women day to remember 37 Palestinian political female prisoners kept in Israeli jails, organizers said. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel (POLAND - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR2JMLP

Palestinian Female Prisoners Suffer Abuse in Israeli Jails

Former Palestinian female prisoners in Israel recount their experiences, which often include assault at the hands of Israeli prison guards.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 2, 2013. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX108VX

Israel, Netanyahu Keep Up Appearances on Two-State Solution

Will Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rebuke Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon for his remarks that israel is uninterested in a two-state solution?

US Prof. Richard Falk addresses the participants during the Istanbul session of The World Tribunal on Iraq. U.S. Professor Richard Falk, UNESCO peace prize holder and Professor of International Law, addresses the participants during the Istanbul session of The World Tribunal on Iraq June 24, 2005. The World Tribunal on Iraq is a worldwide initiative that works together in a non-hierarchical system as a horizontal network of local groups worldwide. The project consists of commissions of inquiry and sessions

Richard Falk Will Not Be Another Richard Goldstone

UN human rights investigator Richard Falk suggests that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has joined pro-Israel UN Watch in defamatory remarks against him.

Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad carry the national flag as they ride on motorcycles in Qusair, after the Syrian army took control from rebel fighters, June 5, 2013. Syrian government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies seized control of the border town of Qusair on Wednesday, dealing a major defeat to rebel fighters battling to overthrow Assad. REUTERS/Mohammed Azakir (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10CO4

Assad's Days Numbered? Think Again

Too many analysts and journalists have based their pronouncements of Assad's "numbered days" on wishful thinking.

Ran Cohen, (L), Haim Oron, (C), and Amnon Rubinstein, (R), of the left-wing Meretz Party leaving a seaside hotel near Tel Aviv where they held coalition talks with representatives of Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak's One Israel alliance. Meretz was the first of 14 political parties to discuss a governing partnership with One Israel and negotiations are expected to last well into next week. Barak has 45 days to form a new government under Israeli law.

HL/CLH/ - RTRPG2O

Former Meretz Leader: Time Against Israel, Two-State Solution

Former Meretz leader Chaim Oron is calling for settin aside the social justice struggle in favor of the fight over the "two-state solution."

Palestinian women hold pictures of their sons during a protest calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails, in the West Bank city of Ramallah December 3, 2005. Candidates began signing up on Saturday for a Palestinian legislative election next month at which the ruling Fatah of President Mahmoud Abbas will face its first major challenge from powerful Islamist faction Hamas. REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel - RTR1A0J5

Pre-Oslo Prisoners Still Obstacle To Palestinian-Israeli Talks

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected an Israeli offer to release 50 of an estimated 107 prisoners detained before the signing of the Oslo Accords, an issue that continues to stall negotiation efforts.