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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 28, 2026

Tel Aviv 7:13 am

23°C

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Can Netanyahu turn Israel's UN isolation into strength at home?

The absence of a Trump meeting would have been awkward for Netanyahu, who has long portrayed himself to Israeli voters as uniquely close to the US president.

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

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu waves to delegates leaving before his UN speech

Delegates walk out as Netanyahu touts Iran war, slams Qatar and Turkey at UN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's statement that the Golan Heights will "remain Syrian territory," while praising US President Donald Trump, whom he did not meet on the trip.

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

Latest News

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

Gargash

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

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

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

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

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 cartoonists draw on 70 years of history

Israel makes a rich canvas for cartoonists, whose works are displayed at the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the country's independence this spring.

Abbas' parting shots

Despite Mahmoud Abbas' peaceful overtures, rhetoric and actions, the second Palestinian president is about to leave the political stage without peace in his lifetime.

Israeli leftist leader digs herself a hole

Instead of offering the dwindling Meretz a new beginning, the leftist party's newly elected chair, Tamar Zandberg, lied to her supporters.

Yahya Sinwar (C), the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arrives for the opening of a new mosque in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2017. / AFP / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Will Hamas' Gaza chief resign?

Hamas' leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar estimates that without reconciliation with Fatah, Hamas is doomed to lose its grip on the coastal enclave.

Decision to declassify Syria strike sparks 'war of the generals' in Israel

The Mossad, Israeli military intelligence, the IDF and former decision-makers are all fighting for credit over the 2007 Syrian reactor bombing.

Could container homes alleviate Israeli housing crisis?

Israeli architects and students explore the concept of using shipping containers as homes and shopping spaces.

Netanyahu needs Likud 'soldiers' to fight for his survival

The pre-Passover celebration of Likud members reflected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s success of turning the Likud into a one-man party.

Palestinians set to reject US peace plan

According to American sources, the peace plan elaborated by the Trump administration will offer Palestinians limited sovereignty on limited territory.

IDF demands 'excessive' transparency from rights groups

The Civil Administration in the West Bank has increased the information it requires from peace groups that organize face-to-face encounters between Palestinians and Israelis, and some activists say the new demands go much too far.

Jordan, Israel hedge their bets in southwest Syria

Southwest Syria could become the next battleground in Syria's multiple regional wars amid a possible collapse in the US-Russian cease-fire agreement.

Israel's acknowledgment of Syria nuclear strike sparks security debate

The story behind Israel's 2007 attack on Syria's nuclear reactor challenges the assumption that Israeli generals are more competent than Israeli politicians at making security decisions.

Disrespect for judicial rulings erodes Israeli democracy

By ignoring Supreme Court rulings that are incompatible with their populist messages, Israeli politicians not only offend the rule of law, they undermine the democratic foundations of the state.