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

Israel cover image

Israel

September 29, 2026

Tel Aviv 8:23 am

24°C

Ronen Bar, former chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency

Ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to sue Netanyahu over Oct. 7 accusations: What to know

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of withholding information in the hours before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but the former security chief rejected the claim, saying he intends to file a defamation suit.

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

Latest News

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

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

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

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

An Israeli soldier (L) helps to roll up the Israeli and American flags after an honor guard ceremony held for General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Tel Aviv, Israel May 9, 2017. REUTERS/Nir Elias - RC157C6035A0

The story behind first permanent US base in Israel

The United States has inaugurated its first military base in Israel, housing a powerful US provided and operated radar system.

Who will control Gaza forces?

An Egyptian proposal for a Fatah-Hamas joint security council in the Gaza Strip could pave the way for Palestinian reconciliation.

Was Abbas' endorsement of one-state solution plea or ploy?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ended his UN speech with an assurance that the "inevitable" freedom coming for Palestinians may take the form of a single-state solution.

Ilana Azoulay, 53, with an Israeli flag hanging on her back, pushes her handicapped son Yossi, 17, in his wheelchair on the road to Jerusalem near Yesodot 13 July 2003. Azoulay has been pushing her handicapped teenage son in his wheelchair half the length of Israel in scorching heat -- one of hundreds of mothers converging on Jerusalem to protest against new austerity measures which deprive them of much needed state benefits. Azoulay is on a mission to make the voice of Israel's most deprived heard. Sympath

Dignity for Israel's disabled, Holocaust survivors

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and others shamefully abandoned the disabled and Holocaust survivors.

Palestinians get helping hand as olive harvest begins

Several international bodies and local groups have launched campaigns aimed at helping Palestinians harvest olives at West Bank farms that are under threat of attacks by Israeli settlers.

Can Israel live with Lebanon-inspired Palestinian state?

Israel fears that a Palestinian unity government would actually allow Hamas to preserve its armed forces.

Moneyed interests blocking path to peace in Mideast

As in the United States, money in politics is fueling violence and hijacking democracy in Israel.

Israel bets against Palestinian unity

Israel's intelligence community does not think a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation will last in the long run, and the current Israeli government hopes it is right.

Jordanian Prime Minster Hani Al-Mulki (R) greets Algerian Parliament speaker Abdul Qadir bin Saleh upon his arrival at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman on March 28, 2017.
Foreign ministers of the Arab League hold second day of talks ahead of the bloc's summit. / AFP PHOTO / Khalil MAZRAAWI (Photo credit should read KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images)

Jordan excludes Palestinians from foreign investor concessions

Jordan reportedly excluded Palestinian investors from the West Bank from investing inside the kingdom, which some analysts link to the talks about finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, namely by creating a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation.

Contemporary artists explore family ties, homeland in Jerusalem

The third Jerusalem Biennale, themed "Watershed," brings together disparate streams of Jewish artists to offer their unique perspectives on evolving identities and the concept of a homeland.

US, Israel on standby as Egypt pushes Palestinian reconciliation

The United States and Israel are laying low while Egypt tries to end the rift between Fatah and Hamas, which Cairo sees as an obstacle to regional peace and security.

Why Israel's finance minister is rushing to approve 2019 budget

Getting the 2019 budget approved would ensure Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon that he has funding to move ahead with his plans, even if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprises everyone by advancing the election.