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September 24, 2026

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Leader of the Arab Israeli party Ra'am (United Arab List) Mansour Abbas (R) and Israeli politician Yoav Segalovitz (L) attend a news conference in Nazareth on August 31, 2026. Abbas announced that Segalovitz, an Israeli Jew, will join his party for the upcoming Israeli elections. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images)

Israel election committee bars two Arab lists from upcoming vote: What to know

Israel's Central Elections Committee barred the Arab-majority Raam party, the Arab joint list party and two Arab politicians from participating in the Oct. 27 elections.

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

Latest News

Analysis

How Netanyahu is leveraging Houthi threat in secret Saudi normalization push

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)

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

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)

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

A man holds prayer beads while casting his ballot as Israelis began voting in a parliamentary election, at a polling station in the Bedouin city of Rahat in Israel's southern Negev Desert April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1EA7EA6CE0

How much are Israel's elections costing it?

With only about 70% of Israelis bothering to vote, maybe it's time to reconsider election day being a national holiday and therefore a paid vacation day for workers.

Palestinian Hamas security forces stand guard at the hospital following an explosion in Gaza City August 27, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC13666F2270

Israel helps Hamas regain control over Gaza, rogue groups

The Israel Defense Forces try to retaliate against rocket fire at Israel while preserving the Hamas rule that is now defied by rogue groups.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, June 19, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1905AECB00

Why does Erdogan want nuclear weapons?

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for the first time made his nuclear ambitions public, arguing that it is unacceptable for Turkey to not have nuclear weapons while other countries do.

Struggle for water continues in Palestine’s Jordan Valley

Israel seems to be trying to drive Palestinians out of the Jordan Valley by denying them access to water.

Filipino children and their mothers carry a banner which reads in Hebrew "release Filipina mother and her son" during a protest against deportation in Tel Aviv on August 6, 2019. - Hundreds of people demonstrated in Israel against the deportation of Filipino children born in Israel from migrant workers but without any legal status. (Photo by Gil COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo credit should read GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Children even fair game in Israel’s election campaign

Right-wing politicians are either silent or support the expulsion of Filipino mothers and their Israel-born children.

Palestinians see Greenblatt resignation as sign of failure for US Mideast vision

While most Palestinians believe the resignation of Jason Greenblatt is a sign of failure, some argue the Trump policy will not change.

Hezbollah, Israel opt for de-escalation

Both the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and Israel seemed to be avoiding confrontation despite the latest round of violence.

A Jewish worshipper policeman prays in Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus early July 4, 2011. Israeli troops escorted buses with Jewish worshippers to the tomb in coordination with the Palestinian forces that control Nablus to let Jews pray on the day when it is believed Joseph died, at the site believed to be the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. REUTERS/Nir Elias (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) - GM1E7740WG601

Jewish heritage in the West Bank, a tool of Israel’s right

Education Minister Rafi Peretz announced that he plans to expand school trips to Jewish heritage sites in the West Bank, generating angry reactions from politicians from the center-left.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and White House Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt attend the opening of an ancient road at the City of David, a popular archaeological and tourist site in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem June 30, 2019. Tsafrir Abayov/Pool via REUTERS - RC167D6216D0

Will Greenblatt’s resignation hurt Netanyahu?

Seniors in the Netanyahu government regret the resignation of US special envoy Jason Greenblatt, whom Jerusalem considers an ally within the Trump administration.

An Israeli-Arab woman prepares to casts her ballot as Israelis vote in a parliamentary election, at a polling station in Umm al-Fahm, Israel April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1E94535020

Netanyahu: The art of Arab vote suppression

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing legislation to allow cameras in polling stations in Arab communities in an attempt to suppress the vote there and improve Likud's chances of emerging with at least one more Knesset seat than the Blue and White in Sept. 17 elections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a state memorial ceremony at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a shrine holy to Jews and Muslims, in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank September 4, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC12D72FA830

Netanyahu’s chaos strategy

If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to pass a law for installing cameras in Israeli-Arab polling stations, and if he loses the elections, he plans to cry out the election results were falsified.

Palestinians in Jordan Valley want more to remain in their land

The Palestinian government announced its intention to offer grants for graduates seeking a job in the Jordan Valley with the aim to encourage Palestinian presence in the area, which is highly coveted by Israel.