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Israel

May 20, 2026

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NICOSIA, CYPRUS - APRIL 24: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for an informal meeting of European Union leaders on April 24, 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The EU heads of state and government are meeting over two days to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the effects of high fuel prices, and how Europe may contribute to de-escalation and a peace agreement. (Photo by Byron Smith/Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa renews ban on Israeli imports in customs law: What to know

The renewal comes even as Damascus pursues US-backed security talks with Israel aimed at reducing tensions along the border.

Somaliland’s first ambassador to a foreign country formally, Mohamed Hagi, presented his diplomatic credentials in Jerusalem to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on May 18, 2026.

Somaliland's first ambassador to Israel announces embassy in Jerusalem: What to know

Israel was the first country to recognize the breakaway region on the Horn of Africa last year.

A bride and group couple rides in a military jeep arriving for a public mass wedding ceremony at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran on May 18, 2026. Iran said on May 18 that it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that diplomatic exchanges continue despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which the US and Israel launched on February 28, but they have held only a sin

Analysis

Israel pushes for full Iran blockade as it awaits Trump's next move

Israel’s preferred strategy, sources told Al-Monitor, calls for a comprehensive naval, economic, land and air blockade of Iran, alongside tighter sanctions and covert activity aimed at destabilizing the regime.

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

Men gather around the husk of a destroyed pickup truck that was driven by a local shepherd who was reportedly struck by Israeli forces and buried by locals at a grave nearby, in the Najaf desert in southwestern Iraq, on May 12, 2026.

What we know about secret Israeli bases in Iraq

Iraqi authorities have said there are no longer any hostile forces operating in its territory.

Latest News

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

talks

Analysis

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

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.

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

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

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

Jordanian protesters chant slogans during a protest against a government agreement to import natural gas from Israel, in Amman, Jordan, October 14, 2016. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTSS8YO

Is Jordan Israel’s new best friend?

Jordan is boosting its strategic ties with Israel based on their mutual economic interests, while Palestinians sound the alarm against normalization of relations with their enemy.

Ron Arad, an Israeli air force navigator missing since he bailed out over Lebanon in 1986, is seen in this undated handout picture released by Israel's Channel One on July 13, 2008. Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group will exchange prisoners beginning on Wednesday under a U.N.-mediated deal, Israel's Prisons Service said on Sunday. A report on Arad's fate was handed over to Israel as part of the agreement. REUTERS/Handout ISRAEL OUT. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL. FOR EDITORIAL U

30 years on, fate of Israeli air force officer remains a mystery

Three decades after IDF navigator Ron Arad ejected from his jet in Lebanon, Israelis still cannot be sure of his fate and cannot heal from the trauma that left such a deep scar on both the military and civil society.

Arrest of security officer shines light on freedom of expression in Palestine

The arrest of a Palestinian government employee critical of President Mahmoud Abbas is indicative of the constraints on freedom of expression that Palestinian journalists face.

New Israeli director general of foreign affairs, Dore Gold, delivers a speech on June 1, 2015, in Jerusalem during a conference about the 50-day war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants in the summer of 2014. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named on May 25, 2015 Dore Gold as his director general of foreign affairs. Gold was an adviser to Netanyahu after he first took office in 1996, served as ambassador to the UN in 1997-1999 and also advised former premier Ariel Sharon. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS

Why did Israeli Foreign Ministry director quit?

The resignation of Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold reflects yet another instance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's penchant for one-man rule.

Palestinians are silhouetted as they walk in front of the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, before the start of morning prayers marking the first day of Eid al-Adha celebrations, early morning September 12, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTSNCVX

Tension rises on Temple Mount during Jewish holy days

Israeli security forces fear that the recent shooting attack in Jerusalem signals the beginning of a new wave of violence, especially during this month of Jewish holy days.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event for U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. October 11, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTSRUFF

Obama’s three diplomatic options for Mideast peace

Both Israelis and Palestinians object to a diplomatic move by US President Barack Obama: the Palestinians object to a presidential speech, while the Israelis object to a UN General Assembly resolution.

Houses are seen in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim as the Palestinian village of Al-Eizariya is seen in the background May 24, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX2EZIG

Why Israeli occupation of the West Bank is reversible

New data shows that the settlements in the West Bank are not an irreversible situation, and that most of the population growth in settlements is due to births — not immigration of Israelis into the settlements.

Israeli riot policemen secure the area following a shooting incident in what an Israeli police spokesperson described as a terrorist attack, in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTSRF90

What's driving Palestinian attacks?

When the wave of Palestinian violence broke out, most of the assailants were youngsters who believed that their acts would bring closer Palestinian statehood; but recent attacks seem motivated largely by religious beliefs.

How will Palestine benefit from joining international environment group?

Palestine is seeking more global recognition as it recently became a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) sits alongside European Council President Donald Tusk (L) as they attend the funeral of Shimon Peres, 93, at Mount Herzl Cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Stephen Crowley/Pool - RTSQ7FO

Backlash at Abbas escalates among Palestinians

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' attendance at the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres has angered the Palestinian public and political factions, increasing the chance of violence in the streets.

A picture taken from the West Bank Christian village of Taybeh on September 11, 2016, shows the wildcat Jewish settlement of Amona.
An Israeli court has ruled that the wildcat Jewish settlement of Amona, where live around 40 families in mainly caravan homes, is on Palestinian property and must be evacuated by December 25. Settlements such as Amona are called outposts -- those that Israel has not approved. Outpost residents hope such authorisation will one day be provided, as has occurred in other cases. Amo

Is a new West Bank settlement Obama's red line?

If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on defying the US president and building a new West Bank settlement, Barack Obama could respond by abstaining in a UN Security Council vote on Palestinian Statehood.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opens the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office moments after he was informed about a shooting attack in Jerusalem October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool - RTSRFJT

How Netanyahu sidelined Peres’ vision for peace

By naming Israel’s nuclear facility after Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignores his peacemaking efforts to position himself as heir to Peres' security legacy.