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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 28, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:33 pm

26°C

Israeli PM

On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings

During his trip to Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Mohamed bin Zayed to deny reports that he had been warned ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that Hamas was preparing a major assault.

A general view of the damaged building housing Tigray TV, the state broadcaster of the Tigray region, following a drone strike in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Sept. 27, 2026.

20 Israelis stranded in Ethiopia seek evacuation as fighting resumes: What to know

Twenty Israeli tourists are asking the Foreign Ministry to arrange their evacuation from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where fighting resumed on Tuesday.

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.

Latest News

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

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)

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Saudi Arabia's King Salman in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 5, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1C4DF4B090

Russia 'consulted, heard and feared' in the Middle East

Moscow weighs benefits and risks of leverage and leadership in the Syria crisis and the Middle East peace process.

Why one Israeli minister wants to bring Trump train to Jerusalem

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz's decision to name a train station that has not been built yet in Jerusalem after US President Donald Trump has upset many world leaders.

Head of Hamas delegation Saleh Arouri and Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad sign a reconciliation deal in Cairo, Egypt, October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC12DBB41E80

Palestinians ready for major shift in strategy

The US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is seen by many Palestinian leaders as a unique opportunity to seriously work on achieving national unity.

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 21: The voting results are displayed on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly in which the United States declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was declared "null and void" on December 21, 2017 in New York City. The vote, 128-9, at the United Nations concerned Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate its embassy there. The Trump administration has threatened to take action against any country that votes against the United States d

Palestinians not popping Champagne over UN resolution

Following the UN vote against Donald Trump’s Jerusalem proclamation, the Palestinians are taking advantage of the diplomatic momentum to advance the two-state solution; however, without strong backing from the international community, the door will be left open for a religious war instigated by Iran and its allies.

Saudi diplomacy goes on defensive

Saudi Arabia could live to regret its warm ties with US President Donald Trump as his foreign policy threatens to undermine its longstanding position as the defender of Muslims and the Islamic world.

Israeli opposition on the attack

The Labor Party and Yesh Atid finally looked like an actual opposition in joining forces against legislation advanced by the right-wing governing coalition.

Israel's Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (2ndR) the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, gestures as he sits next to Israel's Health Minister, Yaakov Litzman (L) from United Torah Judaism party, and Moshe Gafni (R) a parliament member from United Torah Judaism party, during a meeting at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC142C916550

Israeli parties play to voters in fight over Sabbath

Disagreements within the ruling coalition over a bill mandating the closure of supermarkets on the Sabbath are just the first gentle digs in the coming electoral war.

Trump’s Jerusalem proclamation: A blessing or a curse?

With the erosion of US deterrence under Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking a huge risk by gambling on him for Israel's security.

Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman speaks at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle - LR1ED2J0TAV4F

Liberman, politics and the death penalty

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing possible criminal indictment, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has introduced legislation allowing the death penalty for terrorism convictions to strengthen his own political standing in case of elections.

Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade take part in a military training exercise in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria on January 19, 2015. Iran confirmed today that a general of its elite Revolutionary Guards died in an Israeli strike on Syria that also killed six members of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel adapts to changing strategic reality in Mideast

The Israel Defense Forces believe that excellent intelligence capabilities will determine the fate of Israel’s next war.

No end in sight for Israel's political divide in 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's survival strategy has always been to drive a wedge between the right and the left, and we can expect more of the same in 2018.

Moscow mulls scenarios as Mideast mediator

The United States recently riled up the Middle East with its pronouncement on Jerusalem, giving Russia an opportunity to quietly step up its work in the background on Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.