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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 19, 2026

Tel Aviv 2:38 pm

30°C

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on as he attends a trade agreement signature ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 24, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to capitalize on Riyadh's need for intelligence assistance to make normalization headway ahead of the October elections.

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

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

Serbia opens factory to assemble Israeli-made drones: What to know

Serbian President Vucic said the factory will put together “state-of-the-art” Israeli-designed drones and employ around 100 workers.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

Latest News

Culture

Israeli show ‘Fauda’ tops Netflix in Lebanon, hits top 10 across Arab states

ISRAEL-ENTERTAINMENT-TELEVISION-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-MASS-MEDIA-D (L to R) Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, co-creators of the hit Israeli TV show "Fauda", attend a demonstration against the Israeli government's plans to shut-down public broadcaster KAN, in Israel's Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on January 25, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Israel's Blue and White party plans vote to dissolve Knesset

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said there will be early elections unless the government passes a budget.

הדמיה הרכבל לכותל - קרדיט הרלי.jpg

Jerusalem cable car taken to Israel's highest court

Israel's High Court is set to rule on a controversial cable car project in Jerusalem that would alter the city's landscape.

Iran MPs vote for nuclear deal breaches after scientist’s assassination

Four days after a top Iranian nuclear scientist was assassinated, the country’s conservative parliament overwhelmingly adopted a draft bill calling for significant breaches of Tehran’s obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Netanyahu, alone at the top, makes a friend on the beach

Having distanced aides and security chiefs he no longer trusts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become a very lonely leader.

Gaza blockade responsible for $16B in economic damage, UN agency says

UN trade and development agency says Gaza economy "near collapse."

A picture taken on October 12, 2020, shows maritime border markers near the Rosh Hanikra Crossing, also known as the Ras Al Naqoura Crossing, between Israel and Lebanon. - On October 1, Lebanon and Israel, which are still technically at war, said they had agreed to begin UN-brokered negotiations over the shared frontier, in what Washington hailed a "historic" agreement, with a tentative date set for the discussions for October 14, which would be confirmed, according to a US envoy. (Photo by JALAA MAREY / AF

Israel-Lebanon sea border talks postponed

Israel and Lebanon have paused direct discussions over their maritime dispute in a gas-rich part of the Mediterranean in October under US supervision.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, attends the opening ceremony for Sha'ar Hagay national site, near Jerusalem on November 29, 2020. (Photo by Alex KOLOMIENSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX KOLOMIENSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's Netanyahu plans official visit to Egypt

The reported visit follows a string of normalization deals with Arab countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, attends the opening ceremony for Sha'ar Hagay national site, near Jerusalem on November 29, 2020. (Photo by Alex KOLOMIENSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX KOLOMIENSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu prepares his Iran cards before Biden takes office

Israel did not take responsibility for the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakharizadeh, yet Western sources estimate it was a Mossad operation.

Israeli politicians warn about 'Pollard festival' in celebration of Israeli spy

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Mossad chief Danny Yatom warn that public expressions of joy over the expected immigration to Israel of ex-spy Jonathan Pollard could damage bilateral ties with the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters upon arrival at his Likud party's electoral campaign headquarters to give an address early on September 18, 2019. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was waiting for results in the country's general election, but that he was prepared for negotiations to form a "strong Zionist government." He spoke as exit polls showed a tight race between his right-wing Likud and ex-military chief Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White alliance. (P

Netanyahu ignores IDF generals, runs his own show

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff as an associate of his rival Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Egyptian star under fire for fraternizing with Israelis

Egyptian actor and singer Mohamed Ramadan has come under attack after photos of him with Israeli celebrities surfaced to a storm of condemnation from critics opposed to ties with Egypt's former foe.

A picture taken early on January 21, 2019 shows Syrian air defence batteries responding to what the Syrian state media said were Israeli missiles targeting Damascus. - Israel struck what it said were Iranian targets in Syria today in response to rocket fire it blamed on Iran, sparking concerns of an escalation after a monitor reported 11 fighters killed. Israel openly claimed responsibility for the strikes against facilities it said belonged to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, continuing its re

Israel again strikes targets in southern Syria

Syria's state news media reported material damage from an Israeli strike on Syrian air defenses and Iranian militias in the country yesterday.