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Israel

September 22, 2026

Tel Aviv 11:46 pm

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ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

No meeting has been announced between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York.

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

Gargash

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

"We need a new mindset that these sort of discussions ... can happen at an Iranian-American level, it should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level," Gargash told Al-Monitor.

United Arab Emirates

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

Latest News

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

OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

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.

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to supporters at a Likud party rally as he campaigns ahead of the upcoming elections, in Rishon Lezion near Tel Aviv, Israel February 18, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC273F9ZZ5BG

Netanyahu racing to victory?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s "disaster" campaign was a big failure in the last two elections, so he decided to take a different approach and relay to voters and supporters that victory is within reach.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks to the U.S. Ambassador David Friedman during his visit to Ariel settlement in the West Bank, February 24, 2020. Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via REUTERS - RC287F98LHX4

How Netanyahu is burying the two-state solution

If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ever had the common sense to leave room for a future agreement with the Palestinians, he buried it recently with his decision to build new housing units in Jewish east and south Jerusalem neighborhoods.

Why Hamas opted out of Israel-Gaza escalation — again

Hamas stayed out of the recent confrontation between Israel and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, raising many questions.

PA plans to bypass Israel by issuing construction permits, rebuilding demolished homes

Palestinian Minister of Local Government Majdi al-Saleh has recently announced he will be issuing permits that allow Palestinians to build houses in Area C of the West Bank, ignoring the need for Israeli approvals.

Another push to make Qalandia Airport a Jewish settlement

The Netanyahu caretaker government has announced its intentions to build 11,000 housing units at the site of the former Qalandia Airport in East Jerusalem.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a Likud election campaign poster depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC2V7F9VCDA1

And if Netanyahu scores a landslide victory?

According to his rivals, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a plan in the case that he wins the elections: He will empty the law enforcement system of all its powers.

Israeli youth demonstrate as they call on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare sovereignty over Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank, in Jerusalem February 13, 2020. The Hebrew writing reading, "Sovereignty Now". Picture taken February 13, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC2R7F9731YP

Young Israeli voters hypnotized by Netanyahu’s narrative

From an early age in school, future Israeli voters are inculcated with the narrative pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu, resulting in a conservative young generation with intolerant tendencies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to a tent during his visit to the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan, Israel, for discussion on the coronavirus, February 19, 2020. Heidi Levine/Poolvia REUTERS - RC2N3F92AZM9

Intel: Coronavirus fears soar in Israel a week ahead of elections

Exactly one week before upcoming legislative elections set for March 2, there are fears in Israel that the coronavirus scare could disrupt voting.

(Left to Right) Israeli minister of Education Naftali Bennett and Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv and Chairman of Yad Vashem, participating in the March of the Living.
On Monday, April 24, 2017, in Oswiecim, Poland. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Netanyahu’s defense minister gets him into trouble

Another haphazard decision by Defense Minister Naftali Bennett reshuffled the deck for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and led to an escalation of tensions in the south.

Ultra-Orthodox shifting stance on children learning math, English

Ultra-Orthodox Knesset member Moshe Gafni surprised everyone recently by announcing that ultra-Orthodox schools will be established where mathematics and English will be taught.

Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White take part in a party rally, as he campaigns ahead of the upcoming elections, in Tel Aviv February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC2M2F9S6RY5

Blue and White stumbles as Israeli race nears finish

In an interview with Al-Monitor a week before the election, Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz admits he is disturbed by shifting trends in the polls and rejects any chance of partnering with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

How Hamas’ observation units operate on Gaza border

Israel has recently revealed details about Hamas’ observation posts erected along the Gaza border to monitor Israeli movements.