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

Israel cover image

Israel

May 17, 2026

Tel Aviv 4:16 am

17°C

talks

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

The Pentagon will host Israeli and Lebanese military delegations for a round of separate security talks later this month.

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

Just as UAE-Israeli relations were deepening through cooperation against Iran, the Israeli prime minister publicly embarrassed Abu Dhabi by revealing his March visit.

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

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel."

Latest News

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

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

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Pipes that pump water cross through evaporation pools, which today make up the southern part of the Dead Sea, Israel July 27, 2015. The Dead Sea is shrinking, and as its waters vanish at a rate of more than one meter a year, hundreds of sinkholes, some the size of a basketball court, some two storeys deep, are devouring land where the shoreline once stood.Picture taken July 27, 2015. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX1M941

Israeli-Palestinian water deal could chart course for further talks

An agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal project could build some trust between the sides, but the Palestinians are leery of any impact from it going into negotiations.

Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog, speaks during a demonstration held by Israeli left-wing group Peace Now, entitled "Two States, One Hope, A demonstration against 50 years of occupation", in Tel Aviv, Israel May 27, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX37WRH

Palestinians disappointed over Israeli Labor primaries

Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is disappointed over Isaac Herzog losing the Labor Party’s primaries, as they were hoping that Herzog would join the Netanyahu government and advance regional negotiations.

A Palestinian supporter of former head of Fatah in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, holds a poster depicting Dahlan during a protest against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City December 18, 2014. Dahlan, who lives in exile in the Gulf, is a powerful political foe of Abbas.
REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4IJ7B

Dahlan preps for return to Gaza

Former Fatah senior official Mohammed Dahlan is venerated now in the Gaza Strip as the man who closed the deal with Egypt to renew electricity flow.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool - RTS17ITZ

Anti-Semitism abroad serves Netanyahu's plan

In the battle against anti-Semitism in Europe, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sides with the Hungarian government instead of siding with Hungarian Jews.

Israeli Labor Party's new leader challenged from right, left

Newly elected Israeli Labor Party chair Avi Gabbay faces huge challenges, including competing with the Yesh Atid party for center-right votes and defeating popular Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu climbs out after a visit inside the Rahav, the fifth submarine in the fleet, after it arrived in Haifa port January 12, 2016. The Dolphin-class submarines, widely believed to be capable of firing nuclear missiles, were manufactured in Germany and sold to Israel at deep discounts as part of Berlin's commitment to shoring up the security of the country set in part as a haven for Jews who survived the Holocaust.REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX221FU

Netanyahu tries to steer clear of submarine scandal

The latest developments in the submarine scandal are threatening to drag Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into the affair and out of the premier’s seat.

Avi Gabbai, the new leader of Israel's centre-left Labour party, gestures as he delivers his victory speech after winning the Labour party primary runoff, at an event in Tel Aviv, Israel July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX3AWT4

Israeli Labor voters opt for the new guy

Newly elected Israeli Labor Chairman Avi Gabbay has little political experience to offer the party. Applauded by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, he invites all veterans to join forces.

Palestinian supporters of dismissed senior Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan shout slogans during a protest to support him on December 18, 2014 in Gaza City. Thousands of supporters of exiled Palestinian strongman Mohammed Dahlan demonstrated in Gaza to protest the reported sacking of dozens of members of the security forces who back him. AFP PHOTO/ MOHAMMED ABED (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange deal 'closer than ever'

Israel and Hamas finally appear to be making progress on a prisoner exchange deal mediated by Egypt and Mohammed Dahlan.

An Israeli soldier walks past Ibrahimi Mosque, which Jews call the Jewish Tomb of the Patriarchs, in the West Bank city of Hebron July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX3AJ9Z

UNESCO's Hebron resolution hurts Israeli-Palestinian peace process

UNESCO resolutions recognizing the Palestinians' connections to Jerusalem and Hebron holy sites only empower the Israeli right in its refusal to negotiate.

Palestinian Hamas militants attend the funeral of their comrade Ibraheem Abu Al-Naja in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX39MDV

Israel's dangerous game in Gaza

The Israeli government has an interest in Hamas staying in power in Gaza, but pressure on the organization from the Palestinian Authority and Egypt could lead it to provoke another war with Israel.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III (C) leads the Orthodox Christian "Washing of the Feet" ceremony outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City April 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX35CPS

In Jerusalem, secret sale of church land to developers revealed

Arabs in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem are calling for the church to remove Patriarch Theophilos III from office for selling church-owned land in West Jerusalem to Israeli developers, but there is no sign their voices will be heard.

An Israeli soldier walks past Ibrahimi Mosque, which Jews call the Jewish Tomb of the Patriarchs, in the West Bank city of Hebron July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX3AJ9Z

UNESCO Hebron motion important to all faiths

UNESCO's decision to classify the old city of Hebron as a world heritage site, despite Israeli protests, should be seen as a confirmation that the city's heritage is much bigger than disputes between Palestinians and Jews.